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JEWISH   HISTORY 


ETHICALLY  PRESENTED 


FOR  PRIVATE  OR  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  USE. 


THE  PENTATEUCH. 


BY  H.   PEREIRA  MENDES, 

Minister  Spanish  and  Portuguese  Congregation, 
K.  K.  S.  I.,  New  York. 


NEW    YORK : 

PUBLISHED  BY  THE  AUTHOR,    6  WEST  QTH  ST., 
5656-1896. 


COPYRIGHT,    1895, 
BY    H.   PEREIRA    MENDES. 


Press  of 

HHILIP  COW  EN, 
213-215  East  .f4th   St. 
New  York. 


DEDICATED    TO 

THE    MEMORY     OF 

MY    BELOVED    FATHER, 


|pendes, 


FOR    OVER    FIFTY    YEARS 
PREACHER    AND    TEACHER 

IN    ISRAEL. 
AS    ONE    OF    THE     FIRST    TO    PREACH 

THE    HOLY    WORD 
IN    THE    ENGLISH     LANGUAGE, 

AS    THE    AUTHOR    OF    JEWISH    SCHOOL    BOOKS, 

AND    AS    A    PRACTICAL    TEACHER    OF    OUR    YOUTH, 

HE    WILL    LONG    BE   .REMEMBERED 

WITH    HONOR 
BY   ENGLISH-SPEAKING   HEBREWS. 


"  HE  SOUGHT  THE  GOOD  OF   HIS  PEOPLE 
AND  SPAKE  PEACE." 


2096137 


PREFACE. 

This  book  is  meant   for  teachers,  not  for  lesson-hearers. 

It  was  designed  originally  for  the  second  or  interme- 
diate grade,  hence  the  reference  to  Grade  II. 

It  will  serve  as  a  Reader  also. 

The  language  of  the  English  Bible  has  been  preserved 
almost  wholly,  not  only  on  account  of  its  simplicity  and  fa- 
miliar turns  of  expression,  but  because  it  is  recognized  as 
classical  English  and  is  interwoven  in  English  literature. 

The  text  may  be  studied  at  home  or  read  in  class,  with 
or  without  the  notes,  at  the  teacher's  discretion. 

The  teacher  should^use  the  text,  and,  if  possible,  each 
verse,  as  the  basis  for  questions  to  be  answered  in  the  class- 
room. 

The  notes  are  designed  to  answer  many  questions  asked 
by  teachers  and  students.  They  will  be  extended  in  a 
future  edition  if  desired. 

Suggestions  to  this  end  will  be  welcomed. 

H.  PEREIRA   MENDES. 
6   West  Ninth  Street, 

New  York  City. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGB. 

DEDICATION,          ........      v 

PREFACE,  .........         vii 

INTRODUCTION      God  is  Love,     .         ...         .5 

LESSON  I.     Adam  and  Eve.     God  is  Just,         .         .  7 

1.     (Continued.)     Cain  and  Abel,  9 

II.     The  Flood.     God  is  Just,         .         .         .         n 

II.     The  Flood.     (Continued.)   .         .         .  15 

HI.     Abraham.     God  is  Holy,          .         .         .    .      19 

The  Story  of  Sodom,         .         .         .         .22 

IV.     Abraham.      (Continued.)      The    Story   of 

Ishmael,    .  ....      26 

The  Sacrifice  of  Isaac,  .         .         .28 

The  Death  of  Sarah,         .  .     29 

V.     Isaac — Marriage  with  Rebekah,      .          .         33 
V.     (Continued.)      Isaac's    Blessings   to    Esau 

and  Jacob,-        .....     36 

VI.     Jacob  and  Laban,    .         .         .         .         .         43 

VI.     (Continued.)  Jacob's  Night  Struggle.    His 

Meeting  with  Esau,  .         .         .         .48 

VII.     Joseph  in  Adversity,        ....         54 

VIII.     Joseph  Before  Pharaoh,       .         .         .         .     oo 

IX.     Joseph  Testing  his  Brethren,  .         .         66 

X.     Joseph     Makes     himself     Known    to    his 

Brethren,        .....         74 

XI.     The  Hebrews  in  Egypt,      .         .         .         -84 

The  Call  of  Moses,       ...  87 

XII.     Moses  Before  Pharaoh,        .         .         .         .95 

XII.     (Continued.) 98 

XIII.     The  Departure  from  Egypt,         .         .         .    106 


LESSON  XIV.     Massah  and  Meribah,        .         .  115 

The  Visit  of  Jethro,  .  .         .116 

The    Giving   of   the  Ten  Command- 
ments,   .         .          .          .         .         .119 

XV.     The    Departure  of   Moses  to    Receive 

the  Law,        .         .         .         .         .121 

The  Tabernacle,    .         .         .         .       122 

The  Golden  Calf,       .         .         .         -124 

XVI.     The  Revelation  of  God,    .  •  .128 

XVII.     Leviticus,      .         .         .         .         .         -134 

A  Solem:i  Charge  to  the  People,    .       137 

XV11I.     Numbers.     The  Blessing  for  Israel,     .    141 

The  Dedication  of  the  Tabernacle,       142 

Order  and  Discipline,        .         .         .    142 

XVI 1 1.     (Continued.)     The   Appointment  of  a 

Council  of  Seventy,       .         .         .150 
XVIII.     (Continued.)     Spying  out  the  Land,         154 

XIX.     Korah, 161 

XX.     The    Death    of    Miriam.     The    Sin  of 
Moses  and  Aaron.     The  Death  of 
Aaron,        .         .         .         .         .166 
The  Brazen  Serpent,          .         .         .    169 
The  War  with  Sihon  and  Og,         .        170 
XXI.     Balak  and  Balaam,        .         .         .         .173 
XXII.     The  Appointment  of  Joshua  as  Leader,    182 
The  Two  and  a  Half  Tribes,          .       183 
XXIII.     Religion  as  Moses  Preached  it.     Man's 

Duty  to  his  God,        .         .         .188 
XXIV.     Religion  as  Moses  Preached  it.    Man's 

Duty  to  his  Neighbor,          .         .     197 

XXV.     The  Shemang,  .  .         .       205 

Appendix,       ...  ...  .212 


INTRODUCTION.     GOD  IS  LOVE. 

TEXT  :  •  'Thus  saith  the  Lord  that  created  the  heavens .  He  is  the 
God  who  formed  the  earth,  and  made  it.  He  established  it.  Not 
for  confusion  did  He  create  it;  He  formed  it  to  be  inhabited.  I  am 
the  Lord  and  there  is  none  else."— Isaiah  XLVI.  18. 

"And  now,  Israel,  what  doth  the  Lord  thy  God  ask  of  thee  but 
to  reverence  the  Lord  thy  God,  to  walk  in  all  His  ways,  and  to 
love  Him  and  to  serve  Him  with  al  1  thy  heart  and  with  all  thy 
soul,  to  keep  the  commandments  of  the  Lord,  and  His  statutes, 
which  I  command  thee  this  day  for  thy  happiness."  Deut.  x:  12-13, 

God  created  earth  to  be  inhabited  by  man.  In  His  love, 
He  designed  man  to  be  happy  thereon,  aud  to  render  human 
happiness  possible  here  and  in  life  hereafter.  He  gave  man 
laws  of  conduct  to  guide  and  ideals  to  strive  after.  They  are 
all  found  in  the  book  called  the  Bible.  The  Bible  teaches  u$ 
that  God  is  Love,  God  is  Just,  and  God  is  Pure.  Therefore, 
we  must  be  loving,  just  and  pure.  This  is  what  we  call 
religion. 

God  prepared  earth  for  human  habitation  by  six  successive 
creative  acts  : — 

First:     Light  appeared. 

Second:  The  atmosphere  was  formed,  to  separate  the 
waters  of  our  earth  from  the  ether  above  in  which  float  all  the 
planets. 

Third:  The  waters  <  f  our  earth  were  gathered,  dry  land 
appeared,  and  plant  life  therefore  sprang  into  existence. 

Fourth:  The  light  of  the  sun,  moon  and  stars  became  visi- 
ble upon  earth. 

Fifth:  The  lower  orders  of  animal  life  appeared:  insects, 
fishes  and  birds. 

Sixth:  The  higher  orders  of  animal  life  were  created: 
animals  and  man.  Man  is  the  only  creature  made  out  of 


6  SUNDAY    SCHOOL  LESSONS 

earthly  elements  with  a  divine  essence  in  him.  This 
essence  we  name  the  soul  It  is  the  source  of  what  we  call 
the  mind,  intelligence,  thought  and  conscience. 

Man's  material  wants  were  thus  provided  for  by  the  creation 
of  earth,  stored  as  it  was  with  minerals  and  containing  vege. 
table  and  animal  life.  But  inasmuch  as  in  pursuing  material 
or  only  worldly  wants'man's  better  nature  becomes  blunted. 
God  instituted  the  Sabbath.  The  Sabbath  is  designed  for  rest 
of  the  body  and  for  education  of  our  spiritual  or  better  natures- 
God  so  loves  us  that  He  has  thus  provided  for  our  material  and 
spiritual  wants.  Man  was  created  to  work — to  develop  earth's 
resources.  Woman  was  created  to  be  a  help-mate  for  him. 
The  first  man  was  called  Adam,  because  he  was  made  from 
the  earth  (in  Hebrew,  Adamah),  and  the  first  woman  was 
called  Eve,  from  the  Hebrew  word  meaning  "Life,"  because 
she  was  the  mother  of  all  living.  They  were  placed  in  a 
garden  called  Eden,  or  Happiness. 


LESSON  I. 

ADAM  AND  RVE.       GOD  IS  JUST. 

TEXT:  "Observe  and  obey  all  these  words  which  I  command 
thee,  that  thou  mayest  be  happy,  and  thy  children  after  thee  for- 
ever, when  thou  doest  that  which  is  good  and  right  in  the  sight 
of  the -Lord  thy  God."  Deut.,  xn:  26.  ' 

SECOND  GRADE: — 

And  the  Lord  God  commanded  Adam,  saying,  Of 
every  tree  of  the  garden  thou  mayest  freely  eat. 

But  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil, 
thou  shalt  not  eat  ;  for  in  the  day  that  thou  eatest 
thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die. 

Now  the  serpent  was  more  subtle  than  any  beast  of 
the  field  which  the  Lord  God  had  made,  and  it  said  to 
the  woman:  Yea,  has  God  said,  Ye  shall  not  eat  of 
every  tree  of  the  garden  ? 

And  the  woman  answered  :  We  may  eat  of  all  the 
trees  except  the  one  that  stands  in  the  middle  of  the 
garden,  for  God  hath  said,  "  Ye  shall  not  eat  of  it  nei- 
ther shall  ye  touch  it,  lest  ye  die."  And  the  serpent 
said  unto  the  woman:  Ye  shall  not  surely  die.  For 
God  doth  know  that  in  the  day  that  ye  eat  of  it,  your 
eyes  will  be  opened,  and  you  will  be  like  God,  knowing 
good  and  evil. 

And  when  the  woman  saw  that  the  tree  was  good 
for  food  and  that  it  was  pleasant  to  the  sight,  and  a 
tree  to  be  desired  to  make  one  wise,  she  took  of  the 
fruit  thereof,  and  did  eat;  and  gave  also  to  her  hus- 
band to  partake  with  her,  and  he  did  eat. 

And  they  heard   the  voice  of  the  Lord  God  in  the 


3  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

garden  and  they  hid  themselves  from  His  presence  in 
the  trees  of  the  garden.  And  the  Lord  God  called  to 
Adam,  and  said  to  him,  where  art  thou?  And  he  said, 
I  heard  thy  voice  in  the  garden  and  I  was  afraid,  and  I 
hid  myself.  And  he  said,  Hast  thou  eaten  of  the  tree 
whereof  I  commanded  thee  not  to  eat?  Then  the  man 
said:  The  woman  whom  thou  gavest  to  be  with  me. 
she  gave  me  of  the  tree  and  I  did  eat. 

And  He  said:  Because  thou  hast  hearkened  to  the 
voice  of  thy  wife,  and  hast  eaten  of  the  tree  of  which  I 
commanded  thee  saying:  Thou  shalt  not  eat  of  it; 
cursed  is  the  ground  for  thy  sake,  in  sorrow  shalt  thou 
eat  of  it  all  the  days  of  thy  life.  Thorns  also  and 
thistles  shall  it  grow  for  thee;  and  thou  shalt  eat  the 
herb  of  the  field.  In  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou 
eat  bread,  until  thou  returnest  to  the  ground  of  which 
thou  wast  taken;  for  dust  thou  art;  and  to  dust  thou 
shalt  return. 

NOTES. 

Man  needs  to  learn  certain  lessons  lest  his  own  reason  should 
mislead  him. 

From  this  story  we  learn  the  necessity  of  implicit  or  exact 
obedience  to  the  commands  of  God  whether  we  understand  the 
reason  for  them  or  not.  Adam  and  Eve  may  well  have  asked 
why  the  tree  was  planted  at  all,  if  they  were  not  to  eat  of  its 
fruit.  It  was  not  for  them  to  question,  it  was  for  them  to 
obey.  We  learn  also  the  necessity  of  self-control;  that  is,  not 
to  allow  ourselves  to  do  what  we  want,  if  it  is  in  any  way  forbid- 
den by  God. 

We  must  also  notice  that  one  wrong  leads  to  another.  The 
disobedience  of  Adam  and  Eve  led  to  untruthfulness.  When 


Adam  said,  "The  woman  which  Thou  gavest  me,  she  gave  me 
of  the  fruit  and  I  did  eat  it,"  it  was  not  the  exact  truth.  The 
real  truth  was  that  he  was  not  strong-minded  enough  to  refuse 
to  do  what  he  knew  God  had  forbidden.  Similarly  Eve  made 
her  excuse.  Finally  we  must  notice  that  wrong-doing  always 
brings  suffering  in  the  end.  They  suffered,  for  God's  justice 
turned  them  out  of  the  Garden  of  Eden  or  happiness,  where 
with  little  labor  their  wants  had  been  supplied,  to  work  for  their 
living  by  the  sweat  of  the  brow. 

That  sin  or  wrong-doing  brings  suffering,  is  true  always.  If 
we  do  wrong  by  not  speaking  the  exact  truth,  or  by  not  doing 
our  work  conscientiously,  we  suffer  for  it;  because  people  will 
learn  to  doubt  our  word  and  our  work  will  not  be  successful 
Even  if  we  disobey  the  laws  of  health,  sooner  or  later  we  will 
suffer. 

LESSON    I.— (Continued.) 

CAIN   AND  ABEL. 

TEXT.  Thou  shalt  not  hate  thy  brother  in  thy  heart.  Thou 
shalt  indeed  rebuke  thy  neighbor,  and  not  sin  through  him." 
(Leviticus  xix.,  18). 

And  Adam  and  Eve  had  a  son,  and  he  was  called 
Cain. 

And  they  had  another  son,  named  Abel. 

And  Abel  was  a  keeper  of  sheep  and  Cain  was  a 
tiller  of  the  ground. 

And  in  process  of  time  it  came  to  pass  that  Cain 
brought  of  fruit  of  the  ground  as  an  offeiing  unto  the 
Lord. 

And  Abel  also  brought  of  the  firstlings  of  his  flock 
and  of  the  best  of  them.  And  the  Lord  heeded  Abel 
and  his  offering. 


10  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

But  unto  Cain  and  to  his  offering  He  paid  no  heed. 
And  Cain  became  very  wroth  and  his  face  fell. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Cain, Why  art  thou  wroth, 
and  why  hath  thy  face  fallen? 

If  thou  doest  well,  wilt  thou  not  be  forgiven?  But  if 
thoudoest  not  well,  sin  croucheth  at  the  door;  and 
unto  theejis  its  desire,  but  thou  canst  rule  over  it. 

And  Cain  talked  with  Abel  his  brother.  And  it  came 
to  pass  when  they  were  in  a  field  that  Cain  rose  up 
against  Abel  his  brother  and  killed  him. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Cain,  Where  is  Abel  thy 
brothei?  And  he  said,  I  know  not;  am  I  my  brother's 
keeper? 

And  He  said,  What  hast  thou  done?  The  voice  of 
thy  brother's  blood  crieth  out  to  me  from  the  ground. 
And  now  thou  art  accursed  from  the  ground  which 
hath  opened  its  mouth  to  receive  thy  brother's  blood 
from  thy  hand. 

When  thou  tillest  the  ground  it  shall  henceforth 
not  yield  to  thee  its  strength;  a  fugitive  and  a  vaga- 
bond shalt  thou  be  on  the  earth. 

And  Cain  said,  my  punishment  is  greater  than  I 
can  bear. 

Hehold,  thou  hast  driven  me  out  this  day  upon  the 
face  of  the  earth;  and  from  Thy  face  shall  I  be  hidden; 
and  I  am  to  be  a  fugitive  and  a  wanderer  on  the  earth ; 
and  it  will  come  to  pass  that  whatever  may  find  me 
may  kill  me. 

And  the  L^rd  set  a  sign  for  Cain,  lest  any  finding 
him  should  slay  him. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  II 

NOTES. 

We  must  give  the  best  of  what  we  have  to  God. 

Cain  appears  to  have  offered  whatever  he  laid  his 
hands  upon. 

Abel  took  the  trouble  of  selecting  the  very  best  that  he  had. 

Cain's  carelessness  and  want  of  respect  for  God  led  to  the 
rejection  of  his  sacrifice.  Here  again  we  find  that  one  fault 
leads  to  another. 

For  his  carelessness  and  want  of  respect  led  to  jealousy,  and 
jealousy  is  a  great  and  foolish  sin.  From  jealousy  he  passed 
to  quarreling.  From  quarreling  he  passed  to  hatred  and 
anger.  Then  he  committed  murder,  and  immediately  after 
he  uttered  falsehood  by  saying  he  did  not  know  where  his 
brother  was. 

We  notice  also  that  when  we  do  what  is  wrong,  we  often 
cause  sorrow  to  others  as  well  as  to  ourselves.  For  Cain's 
wrong-doing  brought  suffering  upon  his  parents.  They  had  lost 
Abel  through  him  and  he  himself  was  driven  away.  So  they  were 
left  childless  until  Seth  was  born ;  but  even  then  they  must 
have  mourned  for  their  murdered  son  and  his  brother,  exiled 
and  branded  as  a  murderer. 


LESSON  II. 

THE  FLOOD.     GOD  IS  JUST. 

TEXT:    The  Lord  was  enthroned  by  the  flood.     Yea,  the  Lord 
, was  enthroned  as  King  forever.     Psalm  xix:   10. 

And  God  looked  upon  the  earth  and  behold  it  was 
corrupt,  for  all  flesh  had  corrupted  its  way  upon  the 
earth. 

And  God  said  unto  Noah,  the  end  of  all  flesh  is 


12  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

come  before  Me,  for  the  earth  is  filled  with  violence 
through  them;  and  behold,  I  will  destroy  them  with 
the  earth. 

Make  thee  an  ark  of  cypress  wood  ;  rooms  shalt 
thou  make  in  the  ark  and  thou  shalt  pitch  it  inside 
and  outside  with  pitch. 

And  this  is  how  thou  shalt  make  it.  The  length  of 
the  ark  shall  be  three  hundred  cubits,  the  breadth  of 
it  fifty  cubits,  and  the  height  of  it  thirty  cubits. 

A  window  shalt  thou  make  to  the  ark,  and  in  a 
cubit  shalt  thou  finish  it  above;  and  the  door  of  the 
ark  shalt  thou  set  in  its  side,  with  lower,  second  and 
third  stories  shalt  thou  make  it. 

And  behold  I,  even  I,  do  bring  a  flood  of  waters 
upon  the  earth,  to  destroy  all  flesh  wherein  is  the 
breath  of  life,  from  under  heaven;  and  everything  that 
is  on  the  earth  shall  die. 

But  with  thee  will  I  establish  My  covenant,  and 
thou  shalt  come  into  the  ark,  thou,  and  thy  sons,  and 
thy  wife  and  thy  sons'  wives  with  thee. 

And  of  ever*  living  thing  of  all  flesh,  two  of  every 
sort  shalt  thou  bring  into  the  ark,  to  keep  them  alive 
with  thee,  they  shall  be  male  and  female. 

Of  fowls  after  their  kind,  and  of  cattle  after  their 
kiud,  of  ever;  creeping  thing  of  the  earth  after  his 
kind;  two  of  ever/  sort  shall  come  unto  thee,  to  keep 
them  alive. 

And  take  tl.  into  thee  of  all  food  that  is  eaten, 
and  thou  shr  cither  it  to  thee  ;  and  it  shall  be  for 
food  for  thee  3r  them. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL   LESSONS  13 

Thus  did  Noah  according  to  all  that  God  commanded 
him  so  did  he. 

And  the  L/ord  said  unto  Noah  :  Come  thou  and  all 
thy  household  into  the  ark;  for  thee  have  I  seen 
righteous  before  Me  in  this  generation. 

Of  every  clean  beast  thou  shalt  take  to  thee  by 
sevens,  the  male  and  his  female;  and  of  beasts  that 
are  not  clean  by  two,  the  male  and  his  female. 

Of  fowls  also  of  the  air  by  sevens,  the  male  and  the 
female  ;  to  keep  seed  alive  upon  the  face  of  all  the 
earth. 

For  in  yet  seven  days  I  will  cause  it  to  rain  upon 
the  earth  forty  days  and  forty  nights ;  and  every  living 
creature  that  I  have  made  will  I  destroy  from  off  the 
face  of  the  earth. 

And  Noah  did  according  unto  all  that  the  I/ord 
commanded  him. 

THIRD  GRADE. — (Primary),  use  Child's  First  Bible, 
chapter  II. 

NO  TES. 

Not  only  does  wrong  doing  bring  sorrow  to  others 
and  to  ourselves,  as  we  learn  from  the  stories  of  Adam 
and  Eve,  and  Cain  and  Abel,  but  even  if  nations  do 
what  is  wrong,  they  also  suffer  and  in  time  perish. 

The  people  of  the  world  at  this  time  were  doing  what 
was  wrong.  They  were  committing  horrible  crimes; 
animal  life  was  dying  out,  and  men  and  women  were 
becoming  depraved,  and  mentally  and  physically  unsound 
in  health. 

As  God   created  eart'i   to  be   inhabited,  and   to  be  a 


14  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

sphere  of  human  happiness,  this  state  of  things  had  to  be 
corrected.  Hence  the  flood,  for,  as  the  Bible  says  :  "Vio- 
lence," or  the  violation  of  all  morality,  "  filled  the  earth.1' 

Let  us,  however,  observe  that  although  it  is  a  law*  of 
God  that  sinning  shall  be  followed  by  disease  or  death* 
yet  we  must  not  forget  to  notice  that  the  people  were 
warned,  and  must  have  known  that  they  could  not  for- 
get God  and  their  duty  to  Him  without  suffering  punish- 
ment. God's  justice  demanded  their  punishment,  but  in 
justice  He  gave  them  warnings. 

They  must  have  known  of  the  punishment  of  Adam 
and  Eve  for  disobedience  and  want  of  self-control.  They 
must  have  known  of  the  punishment  of  Cain  for  his  dis- 
respectful worship,  and  how  passions,  such  as  jealousy, 
anger,  hate,  lead  to  falsehood  and  murder.  They  knew 
also  that  Enoch,  who  was  known  to  be  a  good  man,  had 
been  mysteriously  taken  away  as  if  he  was  too  good  to 
be  allowed  to  live  with  them.  As  the  Bible  says:  "Enoch 
walked  with  God,  and  he  was  not,  for  God  had  taken 
him."  To  walk  with  God  means  to  obey  His  laws. 

And,  again,  they  saw  with  their  own  eyes  Noah  and  his 
sons  building  the  Ark.  So  that  they  must  have  learned 
that  God  intended  to  destroy  them  for  being  wicked 
men.  But  they  did  not  pay  attention  to  these  warnings 
and  they,  therefore,  perished. 

The  Ark  is  calculated  to  have  been  450  feet  long,  75 
feet  wide,  and  45  feet  high,  (42,413  tons  burden  accord- 
ing to  Hale). 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  15 

LESSON  II.  —  (Continued.} 
THE   FLOOD. 

And  it  came  to  pass  after  seven  days  that  the  waters 
of  the  flood  were  upon  the  earth.  And  the  flood  was 
forty  days  upon  the  earth  ;  and  the  waters  increased, 
and  bare  up  the  ark,  and  it  was  lifted  up  above  the 
earth.  And  the  mountains  were  covered,  and  all 
creatures  animate  with  the  breath  of  life  on  dry  land, 
died.  And  the  waters  prevailed  on  the  earth  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  days.  And  God  made  a  wind  pass  over 
earth,  and  the  waters  were  assuaged.  The  fountains 
also  of  the  deep  and  the  windows  of  heaven  were 
stopped  and  the  rain  from  heaven  was  restrained. 
And  the  ark  rested  on  the  mountain  range  of  Ararat. 

And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  forty  days,  that 
Noah  sent  forth  a  raven;  and  it  went  to  and  fro  until 
the  waters  were  dried  up.  And  he  sent  forth  a  dove: 
but  she  found  no  rest  and  she  returned.  And  he 
waited  seven  days  and  sent  her  forth  again  and  she 
returned  at  evening  time  with  a  plucked  olive  leaf. 
So  Noah  knew  the  waters  were  abated.  And  he  waited 
seven  days  and  sent  forth  the  dove,  which  returned  no 
more.  And  God  said  unto  Noah,  Go  forth  from  the 
ark.  And  Noah  and  all  with  him  went  out  of  the 
ark.  And  Noah  built  an  altar  unto  the  Lord  and 
offered  sacrifice.  And  God  blessed  Noah  and  his 
family,  and  gave  them  laws  to  guide  them.  And  He 
said,  There  shall  no  more  be  a  flood  upon  earth.  I 
have  set  my  bow  (rainbow)  in  the  clouds.  Let  it  be 
as  a  sign  of  the  covenant  between  me  and  the  earth, 


l6  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

that  the  waters  become  no  more  a  flood  to  destroy  all 
flesh. 

NOTES. 

The  sacrifice  of  Noah  when  he  came  out  of  the  Ark 
was  especially  acceptable  to  God,  because  He  knew  that 
Noah  had  no  animals  to  spare. 

God  told  Noah  that  he  would  not  destroy  the  earth 
again  with  a  Hood.  We  shall  presently  see  how  God 
designed  to  prevent  mankind  sinning  the  same  way  so 
as  to  deserve  the  same  fate. 

As  a  sign  of  His  promise  God  pointed  to  the  rainbow, 
which  happened  to  be  visible  at  that  moment,  and  said 
that  it  should  always  be  a  reminder  of  His  promise  for 
all  mankind. 

When  Noah's  descendants  became  more  numerous  they 
erected  a  tower  in  the  midst  of  a  very  wide  plain  to  serve 
as  a  landmark  in  case  they  should  wander  and  be  scat- 
tered abroad  upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  But  God  had 
designed  that  the  whole  earth  should  be  inhabited,  and 
that  mankind  should  spread  in  every  land. 

He,  therefore,  caused  every  language  to  be  so  changed 
that  they  could  not  understand  one  another.  As  a  result, 
whole  families  moved  away  to  other  countries. 

(See  Appendix  B.) 

To  Noah  and  his  sons  seven  commands  were  given 
which  are  considered  binding  upon  all  nations,  because 
all  nations  are  descended  from  them.  These  commands 
include  : 

First:    Acknowledgment  of  the  Creator. 

Second:    Reverence  for  the  Divine  name. 

Third:    The  sacredness  of  married  life. 

Fourth  :   Order  and  justice  in  government. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  17 

Fifth  :   The  sacredness  of  human  life. 

Sixth  :    Forbearance,  or  love  for  mankind. 

Seventh:  Consideration  for  animals. 

But  the  memory  of  these  commands  given  by  the  lov- 
ing God  for  mankind's  benefit,  their  interpretation,  the 
very  idea  of  God,  became  more  and  more  changed  as 
time  passed,  especially  after  the  dispersion  of  Noah's 
descendants.  With  only  human  reason  to  guide,  man- 
kind soon  fell  into  religious  error. 

Thus,  those  on  the  plains  of  Syria  began  to  honor,  then 
to  worship  the  sun.  For  they  soon  perceived  its  influ- 
ence to  make  earth  produce  harvest,  its  warmth  and 
brightness,  its  power  to  drive  away  the  night  and  the 
wild  animals.  This  was  the  origin  of  the  worship  of 
Baal,  so  often  mentioned  in  the  Bible.  Baal  means 
master;  he  who  is  masterful,  he  who  accomplishes  much. 

In  opposition  to  this,  our  Bible  calls  our  God,  the 
41  Baal  Geburoth,"  or  the  Master  of  Mighty  Achievements. 

To  the  worship  of  the  sun,  mankind  speedily  added 
the  worship  of  the  moon  and  stars,  on  account  of  their 
supposed  influence  upon  human  life  and  fortune.  The 
later  superstition  of  stars  and  planets  affecting  us,  is 
preserved  to  this  day  in  such  Hebrew  expressions  as 
<4Mazal  Tov  "  or  "Good  Luck."  It  literally  means  "a 
good  constellation  "  or  "  star."  And  in  English  we  say: 
"  To  be  born  under  a  lucky  or  an  unlucky  star,1'  "An  ill- 
starred  event,"  "His  evil  star  was  in  the  ascendant,"  etc. 

The  worship  of  the  moon  was  the  origin  of  the  worship 
of  Ashtaroth  or  Astarte,  in  which  horrible  immoralities 
were  practised. 

Ts>ebaism,  the  worship  of  all  the  heavenly  hosts, 
was  thus  commenced.  To  propitiate  them,  offerings 


1 8  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

were  brought.  First,  simply  fruits  of  the  earth.  Then 
greater  valuables,  such  as  cattle.  Finally  men  and 
women  sacrificed  what  they  loved  and  valued  most — 
their  own  children, — especially  their  only  child.  In 
addition,  vice  the  most  awful,  was  practised  in  the  name 
of  religion. 

Other  people,  such  as  those  in  the  land  now  called 
Egypt,  began  to  reverence  animals,  first  as  symbols  of 
God's  power,  then  as  gods  themselves.  Yet  others  such 
as  those  settled  in  Greece,  created  a  religion  which  we 
call  Mythology,  out  of  early  traditions,  wonders  of 
nature  and  respect  for  dead  heroes. 

Priesthoods  arose  whose  interest  it  was  to  keep  the 
people  in  ignorance,  and  to  nurse  these  superstitions. 

In  order  to  rescue  mankind  from  these  immoralities 
which,  if  unchecked,  would  surely  prevent  human  pro 
gress  and  render  human  happiness  impossible,  and  in 
order  to  teach  mankind  what  is  and  what  is  not  true  re- 
ligion, God  chose  a  certain  family  to  become  a  Kingdom 
of  Priests,  that  is,  to  minister  to  the  religious  wants  of  all 
humanity.  This  Kingdom  of  Priests  was  to  receive  the 
revelation  of  God's  wishes,  the  laws  for  humanity  to 
obey,  and  the  ideals  for  mankind  to  strive  after.  They 
were  revealed  by  the  loving  God  in  order  to  make  human 
happiness  possible.  This  kingdom  of  Priests  is  known 
to-day  as  Hebrews,  Israelites  or  Jews."  (See  Appendix  C.) 

REVIEW. 

TEXT.     Happy  is  the  man  whom  Thou  dost  correct  and  whom 
Thou  dost  teach  from  Thy  law.—  Psalm  xciv.  12. 

God  is  Love.     In  His  Love  for  us  He  has  not  only 
made  human  happiness  possible,  by  providing  for  our 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  19 

material  and  spiritual  wants,  but  He  corrects  us 
when  we  need  it.  Love,  to  be  true  love,  must  correct 
us.  He  means  us  to  profit  by  the  lessons  of  Adam 
and  Kve,  Cain  and  Abel  and  the  Flood.  We  will  be 
all  the  happier  for  doing  so. 

God  is  just.  His  justice  requires  that  these  and 
all  other  lessons  necessary  for  man's  happiness  shall 
be  constantly  kept  in  view;  and  since  we  are  only 
human,  and  therefore  likely  to  do  wrong,  His 
justice  further  demands  that  He  should  give  laws  to 
guide  mankind.  He  therefore  chose  a  nation 
designed  to  teach  these  lessons  of  experience  and  laws 
for  human  guidance  to  all  men. 


LESSON  III. 

ABRAHAM.     GOD  IS  HOLY. 

TEXTS  :  ' '  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart 
and  with  all  thy  soul  and  with  all  thy  might."  Deut.vi:  5.  The 
Shemang,  or  morning  prayer. 

"  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."     (Lev:,  xix:  18.) 

Now  the  Lord  had  said  unto  Abram  :  Get  thee  out 
of  thy  country,  and  from  thy  kindred,  and  from  thy 
father's  house,  unto  a  land  that  I  will  shew  thee. 

And  I  will  make  of  thee  a  great  nation,  and  I  will 
bless  thee,  and  make  thy  name  great  and  be  thou  a 
blessing. 

And  I  will  bless  them  that  bless  thee,  and  blight 
him  that  injures  thee;  and  in  thee  shall  all  families 
of  the  earth  be  blessed.  And  Abram  went  as  God 
bade  him. 


20  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

< 

Aiid  was  very  rich  in  cattle  and  in  silver  and  in 
gold. 

And  Lot,  his  nephew,  also  had  flocks  and  herds,  and 
tents. 

And  the  laud  was  not  able  to  bear  them,  for  their 
substance  was  great,  so  that  they  could  not  dwell 
together. 

And  there  was  strife  between  the  herdmeu  of 
Abrain's  cattle  and  the  herd  men  of  Lot's  cattle  ;  and 
the  Canaanite  and  the  Perizzite  dwelt  then  in  the 
land. 

And  Abram  said  unto  Lot :  Let  there  be  no  strife, 
I  pray  thee,  between  me  and  thee,  and  between  my 
herdmen  and  thy  herdmen,  for  we  be  brethren. 

Is  not  the  whole  land  before  thee?  separate  thyself, 
I  pray  thee,  from  me;  if  thou  wilt  take  the  letc  hand 
then  I  will  go  to  the  right ;  or  if  thou  depart  to  the 
right  hand,  then  I  will  go  to  the  left. 

And  Lot  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  beheld  all  the  plain 
of  Jordan,  ihat  it  was  well  watered  everywhere,  before 
the  Lord  destroyed  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  even  as  a 
garden  of  the  Lord,  like  the  land  of  Egypt,  as  thou 
comest  unto  Zoar. 

Then  Lot  chose  him  all  the  plain  of  Jordan,  and 
Lot  journeyed  East,  and  they  separated  themselves 
the  one  from  the  other. 

Abram  dwelt  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  Lot  dwelt 
in  the  cities  of  the  plain,  and  pitched  his  tent  toward 
Sodom. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Abram,  after  that  Lot  was 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL   LESSONS  21 

separated  from  him  :  Lift  up  now  thine  eyes,  and 
look  from  the  place  where  thou  art,  northward,  and 
southward,  and  eastward,  and  westward. 

For  all  the  land  which  thou  seest,  to  thee  will  I 
give  it,  and  to  thy  seed  for  ever. 

And  1  will  make  thy  seed  as  the  dust  of  the  earth 
so  that  if  a  man  can  number  the  dust  of  the  earth 
then  shall  thy  seed  also  be  numbered. 

Arise,  walk  through  the  land  in  the  length  of  it 
and  in  the  breadth  of  it,  for  I  will  give  it  unto  thee. 

Then  Abram  removed  his  tent,  and  came  and  dwelt 
in  the  plain  of  Mamre,  which  is  in  Hebron,  and  built 
there  an  altar  unto  the  L,ord. 

NOTES. 

Abraham  knew  that  God  would  help  him,  if  he  himself 
did  what  was  right.  He  had  implicit  faith  in  Him,  there- 
fore he  went  fearlessly  into  an  unknown  land  and 
preached  that  his  God  was  the  true  one  in  the  very  face 
of  those  who  did  not  believe  him.  In  this  he  showed 
great  courage.  We  can  t>how  similar  moral  courage  by 
always  speaking  respectfully  of  religious  matters  and 
rebuking  those  who  speak  disrespectfully.  And  we  show 
what  true  religion  is,  when  it  gives  us  courage  always 
to  do  what  is  right,  to  bear  all  our  sorrows  and  afflictions 
with  contentment  and  resignation,  and  to  look  upon  God 
as  a  loving  friend  always  near  us,  always  able  and  always 
icady  to  help  us,  if  we  have  faith  in  Him. 

The  separation  from  Lot  shows  us  what  a  peaceful 
nature  was  Abraham's.  As  the  uncle  and  senior,  he 
might  have  said  to  Lot,  "  I  will  choose  such  and  such  a 
district,  you  go  elsewhere."  But  he  simply  said  :  "Do 


32  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

not  let  us  quarrel, for  we  are  brethren,  separate  from  me 
and  go  to  the  right  hand  or  left  hand,  whichever  you 
like." 

The  duty  of  Abraham  was  to  preach  that  God  is  Holy, 
besides  being  Loving  and  Just.  Hence  he  was  opposed 
to  anything  that  would  cause  unholy  feelings.  Disputes 
between  relatives  or  friends  should  always  be  avoided, 
and  at  all  cost.  For  they  always  cause  the  worst  feel 
ings. 

Lot  went  to  live  first  near,  and  then  in  Sodom, 
where  the  people  were  exceedingly  wicked.  Going  near 
to  bad  people  leads  us  into  danger  of  being  silent  before 
their  wickedness,  and  then  joining  them  in  it  and  becom- 
ing as  bad  as  they  are. 

THE  STORY  OF  SODOM. 

TEXT  :  The  soul  that  sinneth  it  shall  die.  I  have  no  pleasure  in 
the  death  of  one  that  so  dieth  wherefore,  repent,  and  live  (Ez., 
xxiii:  4-32). 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  course  of  time,  that  four 
kings  made  war  against  the  kings  of  Sodom  aud 
Gomorrah  and  three  others,  and  they  fought  in  the 
vale  of  Siddim  which  was  lull  of  slimepits  ;  and  the 
kings  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  fled  and  lell  there,  and 
they  that  escaped  fled  to  the  .mountains. 

And  the  four  kings  took  all  the  goods  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah  and  all  their  provisions,  and  Lot  who  dwelt 
in  Sodom,  and  his  goods. 

And  there  came  one  that  had  escaped,  aud  told 
Abram  the  Hebrew;  who  dwelt  in  the  plain  of  Mamre; 
the  Amorite,  brother  of  Eschol  aud  brother  of  Aner, 
and  these  were  confederate  with  Abram. 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS  23 

t 

And  when  Abram  heard  that  his  brother  was  taken 
captive,  he  armed  his  trained  servants,  born  in  his 
own  house,  three  hundred  and  eighteen,  and  pursued 
them  unto  Dan. 

And  he  divided  himself  against  them,  he  and  his 
servants,  by  night,  and  smote  them,  and  pursued 
them  unto  Hobah,  which  is  on  the  left  hand  of 
Damascus. 

And  he  restored  their  property.  And  the  king  of 
Sodom  afterwards  went  out  to  meet  him.  And  Malchi- 
Zedek,  king  of  Salem,  brought  forth  bread  and  wine; 
and  he  was  a  priest  of  the  most  high  God. 

And  he  blessed  him,  and  said  :  Blessed  be  Abram 
of  the  most  high  God,  possessor  of  heaven  and  earth. 

And  blessed  be  the  most  high  God,  which  hath 
delivered  thine  enemies  into  thy  hand — and  he  gave 
him  tithes  of  all. 

And  the  king  of  Sodom  said  unto  Abram  :  Give  me 
the  persons,  and  take  the  goods -to  thyself. 

And  Abram  said  to  the  king  of  Sodom,  I  do 
lift  up  mine  hand  unto  the  L,ord,  the  most  high 
God,  the  possessor  of  heaven  and  earth,  protesting — 

That  I  will  not  take  from  a  thread  even  to  a  shoe- 
latchet,  and  that  I  will  not  take  anything  that  is 
thine,  lest  thou  shouldest  say,  I  have  made  Abram 
rich. 

Save  only  that  which  the  young  men  have  eaten, 
and  the  portion  of  the  men  which  went  with  me, 
Aner,  Eschol,  and  Mamre  ;  let  them  take  their  por- 
tion. 


24  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

Now  the  men  of  Sodom  were  wicked,  and  sinners 
before  the  Lord  exceedingly. 

And  the  Lord  said  :  Because  the  cry  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah  is  great  and  because  their  sin  is  very  griev- 
ous, I  will  go  down  now,  and  see  whether  they  have 
done  altogether  according  to  the  cry  of  it,  which  is 
come  unto  me;  and  if  not,  I  will  know. 

And  Abraham  drew  near,  and  said  :  Wilt  thou  also 
destroy  the  righteous  with  the  wicked  ? 

Peradventure  there  be  fifty  righteous  within  the 
city,  wilt  Thou  also  destroy  and  not  spare  the  place 
for  the  fifty  righteous  that  are  therein. 

That  be  far  from  Thee  to  do  after  this  manner,  to 
slay  the  righteous  with  the  wicked, — and  that  the 
righteous  should  be  as  the  wicked,  that  be  far  from 
Thee  ;  shall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  justice? 

And  the  Lord  said  :  If  I  find  in  Sodom  fifty  right- 
eous within  the  city,  then  I  will  spare  all  the  place 
for  their  sakes. 

And  Abraham  answered  and  said:  Behold  now,  I 
have  taken  upon  me  to  speak  unto  the  Lord,  I  who 
am  but  dust  and  ashes. 

Peradventure  there  shall  lack  five  of  the  fifty  right- 
eous, wilt  Thou  destroy  all  the  city  for  lack  of  five? 
And  He  said,  If  I  find  there  forty  and  five,  I  will  not 
destroy  it. 

And  he  spake  unto  Him  yet  again,  and  said,  Perad- 
•  venture   there  shall  be  forty  found  there.     And  He 
said,  I  will  not  do  it  for  forty's  sake. 

And  he  said  unto  Him,  Oh,  let  not  the  Lord  be 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL    LESSONS  .  25 

angry,  and  I  will  speak  :  Peradventure  there  shall 
thirty  be  found  there.  And  He_said,  I  will  not  do  it, 
if  I  find  thirty  there. 

And  he  said,  behold  now,  I  have  taken  upon  me  to 
speak  unto  the  Lord  :  Peradventure  there  shall  be 
twenty  found  there.  And  He  said,  I  will  not  destroy 
it  for  twenty's  sake. 

And  he  said,  Oh  let  not  the  Lord  be  angry,  and  I 
will  speak  yet  but  this  once,  Peradventure  ten  shall 
be  found  there.  And  He  said,  I  will  not  destroy  it 
for  ten's  sake. 

And  the  Lord  went  away  as  soon  as  He  had  left 
communing  with  Abraham;  and  Abraham  returned 
unto  his  place. 

And  Abraham  gat  up  early  in  the  morning  to  the 
place  where  he  had  stood  before  the  Lord. 

And  he  looked  toward  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and 
toward  all  the  land  of  the  plain,  and  beheld,  and  lo, 
the  smoke  of  the  country  went  up  as  the  smoke  of  a 
furnace. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  God  destroyed  the  cities 
of  the  plain,  that  God  remembered  Abraham,  and  sent 
Lot  out  of  the  midst  of  the  overthrow,  when,  he  over- 
threw the  cities  in  the  which  he  dwelt. 

NOTES. 

When  the  King  of  Sodom  and  Lot  were  taken  prisoners 
in  war  Abraham  rescued  them,  but  he  refused  to  accept, 
any  compensation  from  the  captured  spoil.     This  teach- 
ing was  in  accordance  with  his  religion  which  says,  "to 
the  victor  the  spoils   do  not  belong,"  for   the  voice  of 


2  6  SUNDAY   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

justice  must  first  be  obeyed.  When  Sodom  and  the  other 
cities  were  to  be  destroyed,  Abraham's  love  for  humanity 
made  him  plead  for  them. 

The  distinguishing  features  of  Abraham's  character 
were,  therefore,  faith  in  God,  love  of  God  and  love  for 
man,  justice  in  his  dealings  and  purity  of  personal  life. 

We  notice  in  this  story  again  the  lesson,  that  God  is 
Holy.  We  find  that  the  lives  of  the  inhabitants  of  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah  were  so  unholy  that  their  existence  could 
not  be  permitted.  Impurity  or  unholiness  in  personal  life 
brings  death  even  to  individuals.  God  desires  us  to 
lead  holy  lives,  that  is,  lives  that  are  not  marred  with 
the  faults  of  the  people  of  Sodom.  Among  these  faults 
were  pride,  intemperance,  idleness,  selfishness,  want  of 
consideration  for  the  poor  and  needy  (Ez.,  xvi:  49  50). 


LESSON  IV. 

ABRAHAM.     (Continued.) 
THE  STORY  OF  ISHMAEL. 

TEXT  :  Trust  in  the  Lord  and  do  good.  Delight  thyself  in  the 
Lord  and  He  will  give  thee  the  desires  of  thy  heart ;  commit  thy 
way  unto  the  Lord,  trust  in  Him  and  He  will  bring  it  to  pass. 
Rest  in  the  Lord  and  wait  patiently  for  Him.  Cease  from  anger 
and  forsake  wrath;  fret  not  thyself  in  any  wise  to  do  evil.  (Ps. 
xxxvii.) 

And  Abraham  called  the  name  of  his  sou  whom 
Hagar  bare  to  him,  Ishmael,  and  the  son  whom  Sarah 
bare  to  him  he  called  Isaac. 

And  Abraham  made  a  great  feast  the  same  day  that 
Isaac  was  weaned. 

And  Sarah  saw  the  sou  of  Hagar,  the  Egyptian, 
which  she  had  borne  unto  Abraham,  mocking. 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS  27 

Wherefore  she  said  unto  Abraham,  Cast  out  this 
bondwoman  and  her  son  :  for  the  son  of  this  bond, 
woman  shall  not  be  heir  with  my  son,  even  with 
Isaac. 

And  the  thing  was  very  grievous  in  Abraham's 
sight  because  of  his  son. 

And  God  said  unto  Abraham,  Let  it  not  be  grievous 
in  thy  sight  because  of  the  lad,  and  because  of  thy 
bondwoman;  in  all  that  Sarah  hath  said  unto  thee, 
hearken  unto  her  voice;  for  in  Isaac  shall  thy  seed  be 
called. 

And  also  of  the  son  of  the  bondwoman  will  I  make 
a  nation,  because  he  is  thy  seed. 

And  Abraham  rose  up  early  in  the  morning,  and 
took  bread  and  a  bottle  of  water,  and  gave  it  unto 
Hagar,  putting  it  on  her  shoulder,  and  the  child,  and 
sent  her  away — and  she  departed  and  wandered  in  the 
wilderness  of  Beer-Sheba. 

And  the  water  was  spent  in  the  bottle,  and  she  cast 
the  child  under  one  of  the  shrubs. 

And  she  went  and  sat  her  down  over  against  him  a 
good  way  off,  as  it  were  a  bowshot,  for  she  said,  Let 
me  not  see  the  death  of  the  child.  And  she  sat  over 
against  him,  and  lifted  up  her  eyes  and  wept. 

And  God  heard  the  voice  of  the  lad;  and  the  angel 
of  God  called  to  Hagar  out  of  Heaven  and  said  unto 
her,  What  aileth  thee,  Hagar?  fear  not;  for  God  hath 
heard  the  voice  of  the  lad  where  he  is. 

Arise,  lift  up  the  lad,  and  hold  him  in  thine  hand, 
for  I  will  make  him  a  great  nation. 


28  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

And  God  opened  her  eyes,  and  she  saw  a  well  of 
water;  and  she  went  and  filled  the  bottle  with  water 
and  gave  the  lad  drink. 

And  God  was  with  the  lad,  and  he  grew  and  dwelt 
in  the  wilderness,  and  became  an  archer. 

And  he  dwelt  in  the  wilderness  of  Paran,  and  his 
mother  took  him  a  wife  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt. 

THE  SACRIFICE  OF  ISAAC. 

And  it  came  to  pass  after  these  things  that  God  said 
to  Abraham  :  Abraham,  and  he  said,  Behold,  here 
am  I. 

And  He  said,  Take  now  thy  son,  thine  only  son 
Isaac,  whom  thou  lovest,  and  get  thee  into  the  land 
of  Moriah,  and  offer  him  there  for  an  offering  upon 
one  of  the  mountains  which  I  will  tell  thee  of. 

And  Abraham  rose  up  early  in  the  morning  and 
saddled  his  ass,  and  took  two  of  his  young  men  with 
him  and  Isaac,  his  son,  and  clave  the  wood  for  the 
burnt  offering,  and  rose  up  and  went  unto  the  place 
of  which  God  had  told  him. 

Then  on  the  third  day  Abraham  lifted  up  his  eyes 
and  saw  the  place  afar  off. 

And  .Abraham  said  unto  his  young  men,  Abide  ye 
here  with  the  ass,  and  I  and  the  lad  will  go  yonder  to 
worship  and  come  again  to  you. 

And  Abraham  took  the  wood  of  the  burnt  offering, 
and  laid  it  upon  Isaac  his  son,  and  he  took  the  fire  in 
his  hand  and  a  knife,  and  they  went  both  of  them 
together. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL  LESSONS  29 

And  they  came  to  the  place  which  God  had  told 
him  of;  and  Abraham  built  an  altar  there,  and  laid 
the  wood  in  order,  and  bound  Isaac  his  son,  and  laid 
him  on  the  altar  upon  the  wood. 

And  Abraham  stretched  forth  his  hand,  and  took 
the  knife  to  slay  his  son. 

And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  called  unto  him  out  of 
heaven,  and  said,  Abraham,  Abraham,  and  he  said, 
Here  am  I. 

And  He  said,  Lay  not  thine  hand  upon  the  lad, 
neither  do  thou  anything  unto  him,  for  now  I  know 
that  thou  fearest  God,  seeing  thou  hast  not  withheld 
thy  son,  thine  only  sou,  from  me. 

And  the  Angel  of  the  Lord  called  unto  Abraham, 
out  of  heaven,  the  second  time. 

And  said,  By  Myself  have  I  sworn,  saith  the  Lord, 
because  thou  hast  done  this  thing  and  hast  not  with- 
held thy  sou,  thine  only  son. 

That  I  will  indeed  bless  thee,  and  I  will  indeed 
multiply  thy  seed  as  the  stars  of  the  heaven,  and  as 
the  sand  which  is  upon  the  seashore,  and  thy  seed 
shalt  possess  the  gate  of  his  enemies. 

And  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be 
blessed,  because  thou  hast  obeyed  My  voice. 

So  Abraham  returned  unto  his  young  men,  and  they 
rose  up  and  went  together  to  Beer-Sheba,  and  Abra- 
ham dwelt  at  Beer-Sheba. 

THE  DEATH  OF  SARAH. 
And  Sarah  died  in  Kirjath  arba,  the  same  is  Hebron 


30  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

in  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  Abraham  came  to  mourn 
for  Sarah  and  to  weep  for  her. 

And  Abraham  stood  up  from  before  his  dead  and 
spake  unto  the  sons  of  Heth,  saying,  I  am  a  stranger 
and  a  sojourner  with  you:  give  me  possession  of  a 
bury  ing-place  with  you  that  I  may  bury  my  dead  out 
of  my  sight. 

And  the  children  of  Heth  answered  Abraham,  say- 
ing unto  him: 

Hear  us,  my  L,ord,  thou  art  a  mighty  prince  among 
us  :  in  the  choice  of  our  sepulchres  bury  thy  dead, 
none  of  us  shall  withhold  from  thee  his  sepulchre, 
and  that  thou  mayest  bury  thy  dead. 

And  Abraham  bowed  and  said  : 

Entreat  for  me  Ephron,  son  of  Zohar,  that  he  may 
give  me  the  cave  of  Machpelah  which  he  hath,  which 
is  in  the  end  of  his  field,  for  as  much  money  as  it  is 
worth  let  him  give  it  to  me  for  a  burial  place. 

And  Ephron  said,  my  lord,  the  field  I  give  thee,  the 
cave  I  give  thee,  in  the  presence  of  my  people  give  I 
it  to  thee,  bury  thy  dead. 

And  Abraham  bowed  and  said,  I  pray  thee,  hear  me, 
let  me  give  thee  monev  for  the  field. 

And  Ephron  answered  Abraham,  My  Lord,  hearken 
unto  me,  the  land  is  worth  four  hundred  shekels  of 
silver,  what  is  that  betwixt  me  and  thee?  Bury  there- 
fore thy  dead. 

And  Abraham  hearkened  unto  Ephron,  and  Abra- 
ham weighed  to  Ephron  the  silver  which  he  had 
named  in  the  audience  of  the  sons  of  Heth,  four  him- 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  31 

dred  shekels  of  silver,  current  money  with  the  mer- 
chant. 

And  Abraham  buried  Sarah,  his  wife,  in  the  cave 
of  Machpelah-field  before  Mamre,  the  same  is  Hebron. 

PRIMARY  GRADE.    See  Child's  First  Bible.   Ch.  iv. 

NOTES. 

Abraham's  love  made  him  unwilling  to  send  away 
Ishmael,  his  son,  when  he  married  Hagar.  But  God 
assured  him  that  He  would  protect  him  and  make  him 
also  the  head  of  a  great  nation.  Only  he  was  not  to  be 
Abraham's  successor  as  the  head  of  the  family  or  nation 
destined  to  teach  true  religion  to  all  mankind.  For  the 
influence  of  Hagar,  who  was  an  Egyptian,  would  have 
placed  in  the  mind  of  her  sou  Egyptian  ideas  of  religion 
contrary  to  the  religion  which  Abraham  wished  to  teach 
Isaac, — the  belief  in  the  one  true  God. 

From  the  son  of  Hagar  are  descended  certain  Arab 
tribes  now  Mohammedans. 

The  sacrifice  of  Isaac  was  to  publish  Abraham's  faith 
in  God  and  to  hold  up  Abraham  as  a  standard  of  con- 
duct to  the  Canaanites,  to  teach  them  that  God  would 
not  accept  child-sacrifice,  although  they  thought  that 
such  sacrifice  was  most  praiseworthy. 

It  was  therefore  a  protest  against  the  mistaken  religion 
of  the  time. 

And  the  purchase  of  the  cave  of  Machpelah  for  a 
separate  burial  place  for  his  family  was  in  accordance 
with  the  policy  of  separation  in  religious  matters,  or  in 
anything  which  might  lead  to  his  descendants  being 
merged-  into  any  nation  of  different  religious  faith  and 
ideas. 


32  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

We  may  notice  here  that  Abraham  and  his  successors 
adopted  the  following  methods  in  the  interests  of  a  new 
religion  they  were  preaching. 

First :  To  preach  the  true  religion  publicly ;  and  to 
protest  against  every  wrong. 

Second  :  To  keep  separate  from  the  surrounding  peo- 
ple and  not  intermarry  with  them. 

Third  :  To  live  lives  that  were  examples  of  love,  jus- 
tice and  purity. 

Fourth:  To  institute  home  religious  instruction.  As 
the  Bible  saith:  "For  I  know  him  (Abraham)  that  he 
will  charge  his  children  and  his  household  after  him: 
they  will  preserve  the  way  of  the  Lord  to  bring  about 
righteousness  and  justice;  in  order  that  the  Lord  may 
bring  about  by  means  of  Abraham  that  which  He  hath 
announced  concerning  him.  (Gen.  xviii :  19.) 

Home  religious  instruction  was  afterwards  emphasized 
by  Moses,  when  he  commanded  us  the  words,  "And  thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  with  all 
thy  soul  and  with  all  thy  might."  For  he  adds,  *'  And 
thou  shalt  teach  these  words  diligently  unto  thy  children, 
and  thou  shalt  speak  of  them  when  thou  sittest  in  thy 
house,  and  when  thou  walkest  by  the  way,  and  when 
thou  liest  down  and  when  thou  riseth  up." 

SUMMARY. 

Home  instruction  and  personal  example  are  essen- 
tials for  the  success  of  our  mission  as  Hebrews,  the  Na- 
tion of  Priests,  chosen  to  be  priests  to  all  the  world,  to 
preach  and  teach  true  religion  to  all  mankind,  especially 
by  example. 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS  33 

LESSON  V. 

ISAAC— MARRIAGE  WITH  REBEKAH. 

TEXT:  "  The  Lord  is  near  to  all  who  call  upon  Him,  to  all  who 
call  upon  Him  in  truth." — Ps.  cxlv.  18. 

And  Abraham  was  old,  and  was  blessed  in  all 
things.  And  he  said  unto  his  servant,  Eliezer  of 
Damascus,  the  steward  of  his  house  : 

Thou  shalt  not  take  a  wife  unto  my  son  of  the 
daughters  of  the  Canaanites,  among  whom  I  dwell  : 

But  thou  shalt  go  unto  my  country,  and  to  my 
kindred,  and  take  a  wife  unto  my  son  Isaac. 

And  the  servant  said  unto  him,  Peradventure  the 
woman  will  not  be  willing  to  follow  me  unto  this 
land,  must  I  needs  bring  thy  son  again  unto  the  land 
from  whence  thou  comest  ? 

And  Abraham  said  unto  him,  Beware  thou  that  thou 
bring  not  my  son  thither  again. 

The  Lord  God  of  heaven,  which  took  me  from  my 
father's  house,  and  from  the  land  of  my  kindred,  and 
which  spake  unto  me,  and  that  promised  nte,  saying, 
Unto  thy  seed  will  I  give  this  land  ;  he  shall  send  his 
angel  before  thee,  and  thou  shalt  take  a  wife  unto  my 
son  from  thence. 

And  if  the  woman  will  not  be  willing  to  follow  thee, 
then  thou  shalt  be  clear  from  this  my  oath ;  only  take 
not  my  son  there  again. 

And  the  servant  took  ten  camels  of  his  master,  and 
departed  ;  for  all  the  goods  of  his  master  were  in  his 
hands,  and  he  arose,  and  went  to  Mesopotamia,  unto 
the  city  of  Nahor, 


?4  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

And  he  made  his  camels  to  kneel  down  without  the 
city  by  a  well  of  Water  at  the  time  of  the  evening, 
even  the  time  that  women  go  out  to  draw  water. 

And  he  said,  Oh  Lord  God  of  my  master  Abraham, 
I  pray  thee,  send  me  good  speed  this  day,  and  shew 
kindness  unto  my  master  Abraham. 

Behold  I  stand  here  by  the  well  of  water  ;  and  the 
daughters  of  the  men  of  the  city  come  out  to  draw 
water. 

And  let  it  come  to  pass,  that  the  damsel  to  whom  I 
shall  say,  Let  down  thy  pitcher,  I  pray  thee,  that  I 
may  drink,  and  she  shall  say,  Drink,  and  I  will  give 
thy  camels  drink  also.  Let  the  same  be  she  that 
Thou  hast  appointed  lor  Thy  servant  Isaac  ;  and 
thereby  shall  I  know  that  Thou  hast  she\*  ed  kindness 
unto  my  master. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  before  he  had  done  speaking, 
that,  behold,  Rebekah  came  out,  who  was  born  to 
Bethuel,  §on  of  Milcah,  the  wife  of  Nahor,  Abraham's 
brother,  with  her  pitcher  upon  her  shoulder.  And 
she  spake  to  him,  and  gave  him  and  his  camels  drink 
as  he  had  prayed  for. 

And  the  man  gave  her  a  golden  earring  and  two 
bracelets, 

And  said,  Whose  daughter  art  thou  ?  tell  me,  I  pray 
thee,  is  there  room  in  thy  father's  house  for  us  to 
lodge  in  ? 

And  she  said  unto  him,  I  am  the  daughter  of  Beth- 
uel, the  son  of  Milcah,  which  she  bare  unto  Nahor. 
And  we  have  provender  enough  and  room  to  lodge. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  35 

And  the  man  bowed  down  and  worshiped,  saying, 
Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  my  master  Abraham,  for 
the  Lord  led  me  to  the  house  of  my  master's  brethren. 

And  Rebekah's  brother,  Laban,  ran  out  unto  the 
man  unto  the  well. 

And  he  said,  Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  the  Lord  ; 
wherefore  staudest  thou  without  ?  for  I  have  prepared 
the  house,  and  room  for  the  camels. 

And  the  man  came  into  the  house,  and  he  ungirded 
his  camels,  and  gave  straw  and  provender  for  his 
camels,  and  water  to  wash  his  feet,  and  the  men's  feet 
that  were  with  him. 

And  there  was  set  meat  before  him  to  eat,  but  he 
said,  I  will  not  eat,  until  I  have  told  mine  errand. 
And  he  said,  Speak  on. 

And  he  said,  I  am  Abraham's  servant. 

And  my  master  made  me  swear,  saying,  Thou  shalt 
not  take  a  wife  to  my  son  of  the  daughters  of  the 
Canaanites,  in  whose  laud  I  dwell. 

But  thou  shalt  go  unto  my  father's  house,  and  to 
my  kindred,  and  take  a  wife  unto  my  son.  And  then 
he  told  them  all  that  had  happened,  his  prayer,  his 
meeting  with  Rebecca  and  her  giving  him  and  his 
camels  drink. 

Then  Laban  and  Bethuel  answered  and  said,  The 
thing  proceeded]  from  the  Lord ;  we  cannot  speak 
unto  thee  bad  or  good. 

Behold,  Rebekah  is  before  thee  ,  take  her,  and  go, 
and  let  her  be  thy  master's  son's  wife,  as  the  Lord 
hath  spoken. 


36  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  when  Abraham's  servant 
heard  their  words,  he  worshiped  the  Lord,  bowing 
himself  to  the  earth. 

And  they  called  Rebekah,  and  said  unto  her,  Wilt 
thou  go  with  this  man  ?  And  she  said,  I  will  go. 

And  they  sent  away  Rebekah  their  sister,  and  her 
nurse,  and  Abraham's  servant,  and  his  men. 

And  the  servant  told  Isaac  all  things  that  he  had 
done. 

And  Isaac  brought  her  into  his  mother  Sarah's  tent, 
and  took  Rebekah,  and  she  became  his  wife ;  and  he 
loved  her,  and  Isaac  was  comforted  after  his  mother's 
death. 


LESSON  V.     (CONTINUED). 

ISAAC'S  BLESSING   TO   ESAU   AND  JACOB. 

TEXT  :  "  Whoso  diggeth  a  pit  will  fall  therein,  and  upon  him 
that  rolleth  a  stone  will  it  return./ — Prov.  XXVI.,  27. 

And   Isaac  and  Rebekah  had  two  sons,  Esau  and 
Jacob. 

And  the  boys  grew  ;  and  Esau  was  a  cunning  hunt 
er,  a  man  of  the  field  ;  and  Jacob  was  a  plain  man 
dwelling  in  tents. 

And  Isaac  loved  Esau,  but  Rebekah  loved  Jacob.    « 

And  Jacob  sod  pottage,  and  Esau  came  from  the 
field,  and  he  was  faint. 

And  Esau  said  to  Jacob,  Feed  me,  I  pray  thee,  with 
that  same  red  pottage ;  for  I  am  faint. 

And  Jacob  said,  Sell  me  this  day  thy  birthright. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL  LESSONS  37 

And  Esau  said,  Behold,  I  am  at  the  point  to  die  ? 
and  what  profit  shall  this  birthright  do  to  me  ? 

And  Jacob  said,  Promise  to  me  this  day  :  and  he 
promised  unto  him  :  and  he  sold  his  birthright  unto 
Jacob. 

Then  Jacob  gave  Esau  bread  and  pottage  of  lentils. 
Thus  Esau  despised  his  birthright. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that  when  Isaac  was  old,  and 
his  eyes  were  dim,  so  that  he  could  not  see,  he  called 
Esau,  his  eldest  son,  and  said  unto  him  My  son  :  and 
he  said  unto  him,  Behold,  here  am  I. 

And  he  said,  Take  now  thy  weapons,  and  hunt  me 
some  venison. 

And  make  me  savory  meat,  such  as  I  love,  and 
bring  it  to  me,  that  I  may  eat,  that  my  soul  may 
bless  thee  before  I  die. 

And  Rebekah  heard  this.  And  Esau  went  to  hunt 
for  venison. 

And  Rebekah  told  her  son  and  said  to  him  : 

Go  now,  to  the  flock,  and  fetch  me  two  good  kids  of 
the  goats,  and  I  will  make  them  savory  meat  for  thy 
thy  father,  such  as  he  loveth. 

And  thou  shalt  bring  it  to  thy  father,  that  he  may 
eat,  and  that  he  may  bless  thee  before  his  death. 

And  Jacob  said,  Behold,  i£sau  my  brother  is  a  hairy 
man,  and  I  am  a  smooth  man  : 

My  father  peradventure  will  feel  me,  and  I  shall 
seem  to  him  as  a  deceiver  ;  and  I  shall  bring  a  curse 
upon  me,  and  not  a  blessing. 

And  his  mother  said  unto    him,  Upon  me  be  thy 


38  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

curse,  my  son ;  only  obey  my  voice,  and  go  and  fetch 
me  them. 

And  he  did  so.  And  Rebekah  made  savory  meat, 
and  put  upon  Jacob  her  youngest  son  goodly  raiment 
of  Esau. 

And  she  put  the  skins  of  the  kids  upon  his  hands 
and  upon  the  smooth  of  his  neck. 

And  Jacob  came  unto  his  father  and  said,  My  father, 
and  he  said,  Here  am  I  ;  who  art  thou,  my  son  ? 

And  Jacob  said  unto  his  father,  I  am  Esau,  thy 
first-born  ;  I  have  done  according  as  thou  badest  me  : 
arise,  I  pray  thee,  sit  and  eat  of  my  venison,  that  thy 
soul  may  bless  me. 

And  Isaac  said  unto  his  son,  How  is  it  that  thou 
hast  found  it  so  quickly,  my  sou  ? 

And  he  said,  Because  the  L,ord  thy  God  brought  it 
to  me. 

And  Isaac  said  unto  Jacob,  Cotne  near,  I  pray  thee, 
that  I  may  feel  thee,  my  son,  whether  thou  be  my 
very  son  Esau  or  not. 

And  Jacob  went  near  unto  Isaac  his  father;  and  he 
felt  him,  and  said,  The  voice  is  the  voice  of  Jacob, 
but  the  hands  are  the  hands  ofEsau. 

And  he  discerned  him  not,  because  his  hands  were 
hairy,  as  his  brother  Esau's  hands,  so  he  blessed  him. 

And  he  said,  Art  thou  my  very  son  Esau?  And  he 
said,  I  am. 

And  he  said,  Bring  it  near  to  me,  and  I  will  eat  of 
my  son's  venison,  that  my  soul  may  bless  tbee  ;  and 
he  did  so. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  39 

And  Isaac  said  unto  him,  Come  near  now,  and  kiss 
me,  my  son. 

And  he  came  near  and'  kissed  him:  and  he  perceived 
the  smell  of  his  raiment  and  blessed  him,  and  said, 
See,  the  odor  around  my  son  is  as  the  smell  of  a  field 
which  the  Lord  hath  blessed. 

Therefore,  God  give  thee  of  the  dew,of  heaven,  and 
the  fatness  of  the  earth  and  plenty  of  corn  and  wine  : 

Let  people  serve  thee,  and  nations  bow  down  to 
thee  :  cursed  be  every  one  that  curseth  thee,  and 
blessed  be  he  that  blesseth  thee. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  soon  as  Isaac  had  made  an 
end  of  blessing  Jacob,  and  Jacob  was  yet  scarce  gone 
out  from  the  presence  of  Isaac  his  father,  that  Esau 
his  brother  came  in  from  his  hunting. 

And  he  also  had  made  savory  meat,  and  brought 
it  unto  his  father.  And  he  said,  Let  my  father  arise, 
and  eat  of  his  son's  venison,  that  thy  soul  may  bless 
me. 

And  Isaac  his  father  said  unto  him,  Who  art  thou  ? 
And  he  said,  I  am  thy  son,  thy  firstborn,  Esau. 

And  Isaac  trembled  very  exceedingly  and  said, 
Who?  Where  is  he  that  hath  taken  venison,  and 
brought  it  to  me  and  I  have  eaten  of  it  before  thou 
earnest  and  have  blessed  him  ?  Yea,  and  he  shall  be 
blessed. 

And  when  Esau  heard  the  words  of  his  father,  he 
cried  with  a  great  and  exceedingly  bitter  cry,  and 
said  unto  his  father,  Bless  me,  even  me  also,  O  my 
father. 


40  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

And  he  said,  Thy  brother  came  with  subtilty  and 
hath  taken  away  thy  blessing. 

And  Esau  said,  Is  he  not  rightly  named  Jacob  ?  for 
he  hath  supplanted  me  these  two  times  :  he  took  away 
my  birthright ;  and,  behold,  now  he  hath  taken  away 
my  blessing.  And  he  said,  Hast  thou  not  reserved  a 
blessing  for  me? 

And  Isaac  answered  and  said  unto  Esau,  Behold,  I 
have  made  him  thy  lord,  and  all  his  brethren  have  I 
given  to  him  for  servants,  and  with  corn  and  wine 
have  I  sustained  him. :  and  what  shall  I  do  now  for 
thee,  my  son? 

And  Esau  said  unto  his  father,  Hast  thou  but  one 
blessing,  my  father  ?  Bless  me,  even  me  also,  O  my 
father;  and  Esan.  lifted  up  his  voice  and  wept. 

And  Isaac  his  father  answered  and  said  unto  him, 
Behold,  thy  dwelling  shall  be  the  fatness  of  the  earth, 
and  of  the  dew  of  heaven  from  above. 

And  by  thy  sword  shalt  thou  live,  and  shalt  serve 
thy  brother  ;  and  it  shall  come  to  pass  when  thou 
shalt  have  the  dominion,  that  thou  shalt  break  his 
yoke  from  off  thy  neck. 

And  Esau  hated  Jacob  because  of  the  blessing 
wherewith  his  father  blessed  him:  and  Esau  said  in 
his  heart,  The  days  of  mourning  for  my  father  are  at 
hand  ;  then  I  will  slav  my  brother  Jacob. 

And  these  words  of  Esau  her  eldest  son  were  told  to 
Rebekah  ;  and  she  sent  and  called  Jacob  her  younger 
son,  and  said  unto  him.  Arise,  flee  thou  to  Laban  my 
brother,  to  Haran,  and  tarry  with  him  a  few  days, 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  4! 

until  thy  brother's  fury  turn  away,  then  I  will  send 
and  fetch  thee  from  thence :  why  should  I  be  deprived 
also  of  you  both  in  one  day  ? 

And  Rebekah  said  to  Isaac,  I  am  weary  of  my  life, 
because  of  the  daughters  of  Heth:  if  Jacob  take  a  wife 
of  the  daughters  of  Heth,  such  as  these  which  are  of 
the  daughters  of  the  land,  what  good  shall  my  life  be 
m  e 

And  Isaac  called  Jacob  and  blessed  him,  and 
charged  him,  and  said  unto  him,  Thou  shalt  not  take 
a  wife  of  the  daughters  of  Canaan. 

Arise,  go  to  Padan-araro,  to  the  house  of  Bethuel, 
thy  mother's  father  ;  and  take  thee  a  wife  from  thence 
of  the  daughters  of  Labaii,  thy  mother's  brother. 

And  God  Almighty  bless  thee,  and  make  thee 
fruitful,  and  multiply  thee,  that  thou  inayest  be  a 
multitude  of  people. 

And  give  thee  the  Blessing  Of  Abraham,  to  thee 
and  to  thy  seed  with  thee  ;  that  thou  mayest  inherit 
the  land  whereon  thou  art  a  sojourner, which  God  gave 
unto  Abraham. 

And  Isaac  sent  away  Jacob  :  and  he  went  to  Padan- 
aram  unto  Laban,  son  of  Bethuel,  the  Syrian,  the 
brother  of  Rebekah,  Jacob  and  Esau's  mother. 

NOTES. 

If  Isaac  had  married  a  woman  of  the  land  in  which  he  was 
Jiving,  her  family  would  have  influenced  her  and  her  children. 
This  would  have  prevented  Isaac  from  educating;  his  children 
in  the  knowledge  of  the  true  religion . 


42  SUNDAY   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

Intermarriage  always  breaks  up  religion,  usually  breaks  up 
family  love,  and  sometimes  breaks  up  a  family.  As  it  was, 
Esau's  intermarriage  with  Hittites  was  a  bitterness  of  spirit  to 
Isaac  and  Rebecca.  Rebecca,  leaving  her  distant  home  and 
going  to  Abraham,  her  own  uncle,  naturally  fell  under  his  and 
Isaac's  influence. 

We  must  notice  the  effect  of  sincere  prayer,  as  instanced  in 
the  story  of  Eliezar.  Prayer,  if  sincere,  is  a  means  of  obtain- 
ing God's  help  under  all  circumstances.  We  observe,  also, 
that  he  would  take  no  food  until  he  had  told  his  errand. 
That  is,  his  master's  business  was,  in  his  opinion,  to  be  attend- 
ed  to  before  his  own  wants.  He  is  the  example  of  a  good, 
faithful  and  conscientious  servant. 

Esau's  selling  his  birthright,  or  his  right,  as  eldest  son,  to  suc- 
ceed to  his  father's  duties,  showed  his  unworthiness  to  be  the 
head  of  the  new  religion.  His  unfitness  was  announced  by  the 
Lord  even  before  his  birth. 

Rebecca  and  Jacob  both  sinned  in  deceiving  Isaac.  Re- 
becca possibly  thought  that  Isaac'intended  to  give  Esau  the 
blessing  of  Abraham,  as  if  to  constitute  him  his  successor  as 
head  of  the  family  and  of  the  new  religion.  She  should  have 
remembered  God's  announcement  that  Jacob  was  to  be  Esau's 
superior,  though  the  younger.  All  that  Isaac  meant  to  give 
Esau  was  a  blessing  of  material  prosperity.  The  real  blessing, 
or  Bircath  Abraham  (Blessing  Of  Abraham), he  consciously  gave 
Jacob  on  his  departure  for  Laban's  house. 

Rebecca's  act  brought  its  punishment.  For  Jacob  had  to 
go  away  to  escape  Esau's  anger,  and  she  never  saw  him  again. 
Jacob's  act  brought  him  his  punishment  also,  for  it  was 
twenty  years  before  he  returned  home,  during  which  time  he 
had  to  work  as  an  ordinary  shepherd. 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS  4  3 

THE  BLESSING  OF   ABRAHAM. 

The  blessing  of  Abraham  is  really  a  summing  up  of  what  we 
call  Judaism.  It  includes  : 

1.  That  God  is  our  God,  and  we  are  His  people. 

2.  That  we  are  to  be  very  numerous. 

3.  That  Palestine  is  our  fatherland. 

4.  That  we  are  to  be  a  source  of  blessing  to  all  mankind. 
What  these  declarations  mean  will   be  gradually  explained 

in  our  history. 

LESSON  VI. 

JACOB    AND   L.ABAN. 

TEXT  :  ' '  Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  with  all  thy 
might."  (Eccles.  ix,  10. ) 

And  Jacob  went  out  from  Beer-Sheba,  and  went 
toward  Haran. 

And  he  lighted  upon  a  certain  place,  and  tarried 
there  all  night,  because  the  sun  was  set  ;  and  he  took 
of  the  stones  of  that  place,  and  put  them  for  his 
pillow,  and  lay  down  in  that  place  to  sleep. 

And  he  dreamed,  and  behold  a  ladder  set  up  on  the 
earth,  and  the  top  of  it  reached  to  heaven,  and  behold 
the  angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending  on  it. 

And,  behold,  the  Lord  stood  above  it,  and  said,  I 
am  the  Lord  God  of  Abraham  thy  father,  and  the  God 
of  Isaac,  the  land  whereon  thou  liest,  to  thee  will  I 
give  it,  and  to  thy  seed : 

And  thy  seed  shall  be  as  the  dust  of  the  earth  ;  and 
thou  shalt  spread  abroad  to  the  west,  and  to  the  east, 
and  to  the  north,  and  to  the  south,  and  in  thee  and  in 
thy  seed  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed. 


44  SUNDAY   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

And  behold,  I  am  with  thee,  and  will  keep  thee  in 
all  places  whither  thou  goest,  and  will  bring  thee 
again  into  this  land  :  for  I  will  not  leave  thee,  until  I 
have  done  that  which  I  have  spoken  to  thee. 

And  Jacob  awaked  out  of  his  sleep,  and  he  said, 
Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this  place,  and  I  knew  it  not. 

And  he  was  afraid,  and  said,  How  dreadful  is  this 
place !  this  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God,  and 
this  is  the  gate  of  heaven. 

Then  Jacob  went  on  his  journey,  and  came  into  the 
land  of  the  people  of  the  east. 

And  he  looked,  and  behold  a  well  in  the  field,  and, 
lo,  there  were  three  flocks  of  sheep  lying  by  it ;  for 
out  of  that  well  they  watered  the  flocks  :  and  a  great 
stone  was  on  the  well's  mouth. 

And  thither  were  all  the  flocks  gathered  :  and  they 
rolled  the  stone  from  the  well's  mouth,  and  watered 
the  sheep,  and  put  the  stone  again  upon  the  well's 
mouth  in  his  place. 

And  Jacob  said  unto  them.  Know  ye  Laban  the  son 
of  Nahor?  and  they  said,  We  know  him. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Is  he  well  ?  And  they  said, 
He  is  well,  and  behold,  Rachel  his  daughter  cometh 
with  the  sheep. 

And  he  said,  Lo,  it  is  yet  high  day,  neither  is  it 
time  that  the  cattle  should  be  gathered  together: 
water  ye  the  sheep,  and  go  and  feed  them. 

And  they  said,  We  cannot  until  all  the  flocks  be 
gathered  together,  and  till  they  roll  the  stone  from 
the  well's  mouth;  then  we  water  the  sheep. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  45 

And  while  he  yet  spake  with  them,  Rachel  came 
with  her  father's  flock,  for  she  kept  them. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jacob  saw  Rachel  the 
daugher  of  Laban  his  mother's  brother,  and  the  sheep 
of  Laban  his  mother's  brother,  that  Jacob  went  near, 
and  rolled  the  stone  from  the  well's  mouth,  and 
watered  the  flock  of  Laban  his  mother's  brother. 

And  Jacob  kissed  Rachel,  and  lifted  up  his  voice, 
and  wept. 

And  Jacob  told  Rachel  that  he  was  her  father's 
brother,  and  that  he  was  Rebekah's  son;  and  she  ran 
and  told  her  father. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Laban  heard  the  tidings 
of  Jacob  his  sister's  son,  that  he  ran  to  meet  him,  and 
em-braced  him,  and  kissed  him,  and  "brought  him  to 

his  house.     And  he  told  Laban  all  these  things. 

• 

And  Laban  said  to  him,  Surely  thou  art  my  bone 
and  my  flesh.  And  he  abode  with  him  the  space  of  a 
month.  And  Laban  said,  Shouldst  thou  serve  me  for 
nothing,  because  thou  art  my  brother?  What  shall 
thy  wages  be?  And  he  had  two  daughters,  Leah  and 
Rachel. 

And  Jacob  loved  Rachel,  and  he  said,  I  will  serve 
thee  seven  years  for  Rachel  thy  youngest  daughter. 

And  Laban  said,  I  would  sooner  give  her  to  thee 
than  to  any  other.  And  the  seven  years  seemed  to 
Jacob  but  a  few  days,  for  the  love  he  had  for  her. 

And  Labau  deceived  him  and  made  him  take  Leah 
for  a  wife.  And  he  made  Jacob  promise  to  serve  him 
seven  years  more  for  Rachel. 


46  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

And  at  the  end  of  fourteen  years  Jacob  said  utito 
Laban,  Send  me  away  that  I  may  go  to  mine  own 
place  and  to  my  country. 

And  Laban  said,  The  Lord  hath  blessed  me  for  thy 
sake.  Appoint  me  thy  wages  and  I  will  give  it. 

And  Jacob  said,  Give  me  all  the  speckled,  spotted 
and  black  among  thy  sheep  and  the  spotted  and 
speckled  among  the  goats,  and  it  shall  be  my  hire. 
And  Laban  agreed. 

And  Jacob  through  his  cleverness  so  increased  that 
Laban  changed  the  agreement  ten  times. 

And  an  angel  of  God  appeared  unto  Jacobin  a  dream 
and  said,  I  have  seen  all  that  L^ban  doeth  to  thee, 
Arise,  get  thee  out  of  this  country,  and  return  to  the 
land  of  thy  nativity. 

So  he  fled  with  all  that  he  had ;  and  he  rose 
and  passed  over  the  river,  and  seNiis  face  toward  the 
mount  Gilead. 

And  it  was  told  Laban  on  the  third  day  that  Jacob 
was  fled. 

And  he  took  his  brethren  with  him,  and  pursued 
after  him  seven  days' journey,  and  they  overtook  him 
in  the  mount  Gilead. 

And  God  came  to  Laban  the  Syrian  in  a  dream  by 
night,  and  said  unto  him,  Take  heed  that  thou  speak 
not  to  Jacob  either  good  or  bad. 

Then  Laban  overtook  Jacob.  Now  Jacob  had 
pitched  his  tent  in  the  mount,  and  Laban  with  his 
brethren  pitched  in  the  mount  of  Gilead. 

And  Laban  said  to  Jacob,   What   hast  thou  done, 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS  47 

that  thou  hast  stolen  away  unawares  to  me,  and  car- 
ried awav  my  daughters,  as  captives  taken  with  the 
sword  ? 

Wherefore  didst  thou  flee  away  secretly,  and  steal 
away  from  me;  and  didst  not  tell  me,  that  I  might 
have  sent  thee  away  with  mirth,  and  with  song,  with 
tabret,  and  with  harp  ? 

And  hast  not  suffered  me  to  kiss  my  sons  and  my 
daughters  ?  thou  hast  now  done  foolishly  in  so  doing. 

It  is  in  the  power  of  my  hand  to  do  thee  hurt,  but 
the  God  of  thy  father  spake  unto  me  yesternight,  say- 
ing, Take  thou  heed  that  thou  speak  not  to  Jacob 
either  good  or  bad. 

And  Laban  said,  Why  hast  thou  stolen  my  gods  ? 
And  Jacob  knew  not  that  Rachel  had  stolen  them. 
And  he  said,  Whoever  hath  stolen  thy  gods  let  him 
not  live. 

And  Laban  searched  and  found  them  not. 

And  Jacob  waxed  angry  and  said:  These  twenty 
years  I  have  been  with  thee  I  made  good  every  loss, 
whether  due  to  wild  beasts  or  stolen  by  day  or  night. 
In  the  day  the  heat  consumed  me,  at  night  the  frost, 
and  sleep  fled  from  mine  eyes. 

And  they  made  a  covenant,  with  a  stone  heap  to 
mark  it.  And  it  was  called  Mizpah,  meaning,  The 
Lord  watch  between  me  and  thee  when  we  are  absent 
one  from  the  other. 

And  Laban  returned  to  his  place. 


48  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

NOTES. 

Jacob  could  have  remained  in  Syria  with  Laban,  but  he 
would  have  been  merged  among  the  natives.  He  knew  he 
had  to  keep  his  family  separate.  We  can  admire  the  courage 
with  which  he,  a  young  man  brought  up  as  the  son  of  a  rich 
father,  settled  down  to  hard  work  for  twenty  years,  passing 
many  a  sleepless  night  and  suffering  the  heat  of  the  Syrian 
day  and  the  cold  of  its  frosty  nights.  Industry  and  persever- 
ance always  conquer  in  the  end.  Though  he  left  home  with 
nothing  save  a  staff  in  his  hand,  he  was  now  returning  home 
rich. 

Nor  must  we  forget  that  he  was  returning  home  in  order  to 
continue  the  mission  of  his  family,  even  though  he  was  to  do 
only  a  little  towards  it.  He  did  not  shrink  from  his  duty,  and 
say  "  I  prefer  to  remain  here  where  I  have  made  my  fortune, 
this  is  my  Palestine."  It  was  enough  for  him  that  he  was  an 
instrument  of  God  for  some  wise  purpose,  and  that  God  had 
told  him  he  was  to  return. 

We  must  notice  also  how  God  always  protects  His  servant. 
He  would  not  allow  Laban  to  hurt  Jacob. 


LESSON  VI.     (CONTINUED). 

JACOB'S  NIGHT-STRUGGLE.     HIS  MEETING  WITH  ESAU. 

TEXT  :  "I  sought  the  Lord  and  he  heard  me,  and  He  delivered 
me  from  all  my  fears."     Psalms,  xxxiv.,  4 

[Lesson  for  Grade  III. (Primary)  Child's  First  Bible, 
Ch.  v.] 

And  Jacob  sent  messengers  before  him  to  Esau,  his 
brother,  unto  the  land  of  Seir,  the  country  of  Edom. 

And  he  commanded  them,  saying,  Thus  shall  ye 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  49 

speak  unto  my  lord  Esau  :  Thy  servant  Jacob  saith 
thus,  I  have  sojourned  with  Laban,  and  stayed  there 
until  now. 

And  I  have  oxen,  and  asses,  flocks,  and  men- 
servants,  and  women-servants,  and  I  have  sent  to  tell 
my  lord,  that  I  may  find  grace  in  thy  sight. 

And  the  messengers  returned  to  Jacob,  saying,  We 
came  to  thy  brother  Esau,  aud  also  he  cometh  to  meet 
thee,  and  four  hundred  men  with  him. 

Then  Jacob  was  greatly  afraid  and  distressed,  and 
he  divided  the  people  that  was  with  him,  and  the 
flocks,  and  herds,  and  the  camels,  into  two  bauds  : 

And  said,  If  Esau  come  to  the  one  company,  and 
smite  it,  then  the  company  which  is  left  shall  escape. 

And  Jacob  said,  O  God  of  my  father  Abraham,  and 
God  of  my  father  Isaac,  the  Lord  which  saidst  unto 
me,  Return  unto  thy  country,  and  to  thy  kindred, 
and  I  will  deal  well  with  thee, 

I  am  not  worthy  of  the  least  of  all  the  mercies,  and 
of  all  the  truth,  which  thou  hast  showed  unto  thy 
servant ;  for  with  my  staff  I  passed  over  this  Jordan  ; 
and  now  I  am  become  two  bands. 

Deliver  me,  I  pray  thee,  from  the  hand  of  my  bro- 
ther, from  the  hand  of  Esau,  for  I  fear  him,  lest  he 
will  come  and  smite  me,  and  the  mother  with  the 
children. 

And  thou  saidst,  I  will  surely  do  thee  good,  and 
make  thy  seed  as  the  sand  of  the  sea,  which  cannot 
be  numbered  for  multitude. 

And  he  sent  his  wives  and  his  women-servants  and 
sent  them  over  the  brook,  and  sent  over  all  he  had. 


50  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

And  Jacob  was  left  alone;  and  there  wrestled  a  man 
with  him  till  break  of  day. 

And  when  he  saw  that  he  prevailed  not  against  him 
he  touched  the  hollow  of  his  thigh,  and  the  hollow  of 
Jacob's  thigh  was  out  ofjoint  as  he  wrestled  with  him. 

And  he  said,  Let  me  go,  for  day  break eth.  And  he 
said,  I  will  not  let  thee  go,  except  thou  bless  me. 

And  he  said  unto  him,  what  is  thy  name?  And  he 
said  Jacob. 

And  he  said,  thy  name  no  more  shall  be  called 
Jacob,  but  Israel ;  for  as  a  prince  thou  hast  power  with 
God  and  with  men  and  hast  been  able. 

And  Jacob  asked  him  and  said,  Tell  me,  I  pray  thee, 
thy  name.  And  he  said,  wherefore  askest  thou  my 
name?  And  he  blessed  him  there. 

And  Jacob  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  looked,  and  be- 
hold, Esau  came,  and  with  him  fonr  hundred  men. 

And  he  divided  the  children  unto  Leah,  and  unto 
Rachel,  and  unto  the  two  hand-maids. 

And  he  put  the  hand-maids  and  their  children 
foremost,  and  Leah  and  her  children  after,  and  Rachel 
and  Joseph  hindermost. 

And  he  passed  over  before  them,  and  bowed  himself 
to  the  ground  seven  times,  until  he  came  near  to  his 
brother. 

And  Esau  ran  to  meet  him,  and  embraced  him,  and 
fell  on  his  neck,  kissed  him,  and  they  wept. 

And  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  saw  the  women  and 
the  children,  and  said,  who  are  those  with  thee? 
And  he  said,  the  children  which  God  hath  graciously 
given  thy  servant. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL   LESSONS  51 

Then  the  hand-maidens  came  near,  they  and  their 
children,  and  they  bowed  themselves. 

And  Leah  also  with  her  children  came  near,  and 
bowed  themselves,  and  after  came  Joseph  near  and 
Rachel,  and  they  bowed  themselves. 

And  he  said:  What  meanest  thou  by  all  this  drove 
which  I  met?  And  he  said:  These  are  to  find  grace 
in  the  sight  of  my  lord. 

And  Esau  said,  I  have  enough,  my  brother;  keep 
what  thou  hast  unto  thyself. 

And  Jacob  said,  Nay,  I  pray  thee,  if  now  I  have 
found  grace  in  thy  sight,  then  receive  my  present  at 
my  hand,  for  therefore  I  have  seen  thy  face,  as  though 
I  had  seen  the  face  of  God,  and  thou  wast  pleased 
with  me. 

Take,  I  pray  thee,  'my  blessing  that  is  brought  to 
me,  because  God  hath  dealt  graciously  with  me,  and 
because  I  have  enough.  And  he  urged  him,  and  he 
took  it. 

And  he  said,  let  us  take  our  journey,  and  let  us  go, 
and  I  will  go  before  thee. 

And  he  said  unto  him,  My  lord  knoweth  that  the 
children  are  tender,  and  the  flocks  and  herds  are  with 
me;  and  if  the  men  should  overdrive  them  one  day, 
all  the  flock  will  die. 

Let  my  lord,  I  pray  thee,  pass  over  before  his  ser- 
vant; and  I  will  lead  on  softly,  according  as  the  cattle 
that  goeth  before  me  and  the  children  be  able  to 
endure,  until  I  come  unto  my  lord  unto  Seir. 

And  Esau  said,  Let  me  now  leave  with  thee  some 


52  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

of  the  folk  that  are  with   me.     And   he  said,   What 

needeth  it?  let  me  find  grace  in  the  sight  of  my  lord. 

So  Esau  returned  that  day  on  his  way  unto  Seir. 

NOTES. 

Jacob  doubtless  wished  to  find  out  whether  Esau  still  hated 
him  for  what  he  had  done.  Hence  he  sent  messengers,  and 
was  much  frightened  by  their  report  that  he  was  coming  with 
four  hundred  men,  for  this  seemed  to  mean  that  Esau  was 
coming  with  hostile  intention.  Wrong-doing  sometimes  seems 
never  to  cease  causing  sorrow  and  trouble.  Jacob's  wrong 
in  stealing  his  brother's  blessing  had  caused  him  to  endure 
twenty  years  of  hard  and  menial  work  ;  it  had  given  him  the 
constant  anxiety  that  he  might  never  see  his  parents  again — 
and  as  a  matter  of  fact,  his  beloved  mother  did  die  before  his 
return — and  the  constant  sorrow  that  he  could  not  be  on  hand 
to  cheer  their  old  age  and  attend  personally  to  their  comfort. 
Now  he  had  the  dread  that  Esau  would  fight  him  in  his 
revenge,  and  naturally  exterminate  him  or  capture  his  family 
and  property. 

But  we  must  note  his  beautiful  prayer.  Few  people  say 
prayers.  They  usually  say  mere  words.  Prayer  means  say- 
ing that  which  comes  from  one's  own  heart  to  God,  believing 
and  feeling  that  God  can  help  us.  The  mistake  which  people 
make  is,  that  they  do  not  take  their  troubles  and  worries  to 
God.  We  should  remember  that  none  of  our  worries  are  too 
trivial  for  God's  notice.  The  result  of  a  habit  of  prayer,  of 
daily  consultation  with  God,  of  what  we  may  call  confidential 
communications  with  God.  will  be  a  wonderful  courage,  peace 
and  hope  in  our  lives.  We  must  seek  God  at  any  hour  we 
need  His  aid.  But  we  should  daily  commune  with  Him  and 
tell  Him  our  heart's  desire.  If  He  thinks  proper,  He  will 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  53 

graciously  grant  or  refuse  our  petition.    If  He  refuse,  we  may 
be  sure  it  is  because  He  knows  what  is  best. 

We  cannot  emphasize  too  strongly  the  efficacy  of  Prayer. 
Yet  it  must  not  be  attempted  merely  as  an  experiment  or  as 
a  source  of  personal  advantage.  That  would  be  an  insult  to 
God.  We  must  approach  Him  reverently.  The  Lord  is  near 
to  all  who  call  upon  Him,  to  all  who  call  upon  Him  sincerely. 
"The  wish  of  those  who  reverence  Him,  He  accomplished. 
He  heareth  their  cry  and  saveth  them  "  (Ps.  cxlv.,  v.  18,  19). 

Jacob's  prayer  was  answered.  Whatever  Esau's  intentions 
were,  he  met  Jacob  peacefully  and  even  lovingly.  Jacob, 
however,  would  not  consent  to  Esau's  remaining  with  him,  as 
the  latter  suggested,  and  on  reaching  home,  succeeded  in 
causing  Esau  to  settle  in  Edom,  to  the  south  of  Palestine. 

For  Jacob  knew  that  his  family  must  be  kept  separate  and 
away  from  influences  adverse  to  the  cultivation  qf  the  pure 
religion  he  was  to  teach.  This  separatist  policy  of  the  patri- 
archs has  been  already  noticed.  It  is  most  essential  for  the 
survival  of  our  nation  and  for  the  success  of  their  mission  of 
"Truth-teaching"  among  the  peoples  of  the  earth  in  whose 
midst  they  are  living. 

The  struggle  of  Jacob  with  the  strange  person  during  the 
night  may  be  regarded  as  symbolical  of  the  change  in  Jacob 's 
life,  from  being  "Jacob,"  which  means  the  supplanter,  to 
being  "  Israel,"  or  the  one  who  has  power  with  (not  against) 
God,  and  proves  himself  able.  Jacob  was  no  longer  to  sup- 
plant an  Esau  or  outwit  a  scheming  Laban.  He  was  hence- 
forth to  prove  that  he  possessed  power  successfully  to  perform 
his  mission  with  God's  help. 

His  work  in  this  direction  is  brilliantly  illustrated  by  the 
career  of  Joseph,  his  son,  to  whom  he  taught  that  reverence 
for  God  which  made  him  so  good  a  man,  and  able  to  guide 
the  destinies  of  the  family  at  a  critical  time. 


54  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

LESSON  VII. 

JOSEPH  IN  ADVERSITY. 

TEXT  :  "  The  Lord  is  good  unto  them  that  wait  for  Him,  to  the 
soul  that  seeketh  Him.  "  Lameu. ,  iii,  25. 

Now  Israel  loved  Joseph  more  than  all  his  children, 
because  he  was  the  son  of  his  old  age  ;  and  he  made 
him  a  coat  of  many  colors. 

And  when  his  brethren  saw  that  their  father  loved 
him  more  than  all  his  brethren,  they  hated  him,  aud 
could  not  speak  peaceably  unto  him. 

And  Joseph  dreamed  a  dream,  and  he  told  it  his 
brethren,  and  they  hated  him  yet  the  more. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Hear,  I  pray  you,  this 
dream  which  I  have  dreamed. 

For,  behold,  we  were  binding  sheaves  in  the  field, 
and,  lo,  my  sheaf  arose,  and  also  stood  upright;  aud, 
behold,  your  sheaves  stood  round  about,  aud  made 
obeisance  to  my  sheaf. 

And  his  brethren  said  to  him,  Shalt  thou  indeed 
reign  over  us  ?  or  shall  thou  indeed  have  dominion 
over  us?  And  they  hated  him  yet  the  more  for  his 
dreams,  and  for  his  works. 

And  he  dreamed  yet  another  dream,  and  told  it  his 
brethren,  and  said,  Behold,  I  have  dreamed  a  dream 
more;  and  behold,  the  sun  and  the  moon  and  the 
eleven  stars  made  obeisance  to  me. 

And  he  told  it  to  his  father  and  to  his  brethren,  and 
his  father  rebuked  him,  and  said  unto  him,  What  is 
this  dream  that  thou  hast  dreamed  ?  Shall  I  and  thy 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS  55 

mother  and  thy  brethren  indeed  come  to  bow  down 
ourselves  to  thee  to  the  earth  ? 

And  his  brethren  envied  him;  but  his  father  ob- 
served the  saying. 

And  his  brethren  went  to  feed  theii  father's  flock 
in  Shechem. 

And  Israel  said  unto  Joseph,  Do  not  thy  brethren 
feed  the  flock  in"  Shechem  ?  Come,  and  I  will  seui  thee 
unto  them.  And  he  said  to  him  here  am  I. 

And  he  said  to  him,  Go,  I  pray  thee,  see  whether  it 
will  be  well  with  thy  brethren,  and  well  with  the 
flocks,  and  bring  me  word  again.  So  he  sent  him  out 
of  the  vale  of  Hebron,  and  he  came  to  Shechem. 

And  a  certain  man  found  him,  and  behold,  he  was 
wandering  in  the  field  and  the  man  asked  him,  saying, 
What  seekest  thou  ? 

And  he  said,  I  seek  my  brethren,  tell  me  I  pray 
thee,  where  they  feed  their  flocks. 

And  the  man  said,  They  are  departed  hence,  for  I 
heard  them  say,  let  us  go  to  Dothan. 

And  Joseph  went  after  his  brethren,  and  found 
them  in  Dothan. 

And  when  they  saw  him  afar  off,  even  before  he 
came  near  unto  them,  they  conspired  against  him  to 
slay  him. 

And  they  said  one  to  another,  Behold,  this  dreamer 
cometh. 

Come  now,  therefore,  and  let  us  slay  him,  and  cast 
him  into  some  pit,  and  we  will  say  some  evil  beast 
hath  devoured  him;  and  we  shall  see  what  will 
become  of  his  dreams. 


56  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

And  Reuben  heard  it,  and  said  unto  them,  Shed  no 
blood,  but  cast  him  into  this  pit  that  is  in  the  wilder- 
ness and  lay  no  hand  upon  him,— that  he  might  save 
him  out  of  their  hands,  to  deliver  him  to  his  father 
again. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Joseph  was  come  unto 
his  brethren,  that  they  stripped  Joseph  out  of  his  coat 
of  many  colors  that  was  on  him. 

And  they  took  him  and  cast  him  into  a  pit,  and  the 
pit  was  empty,  there  was  no  water  in  it. 

And  they  sat  down  to  eat  their  bread,  and  they 
lifted  up  their  eyes  and  looked,  and  behold,  a  com- 
pany of  Ishmaelites  came  from  Gilead  with  their 
camels  bearing  spices  and  balm  and  myrrh,  going  to 
carry  it  down  to  Egypt. 

And  Judah  siid  unto  his  brethren,  What  profit  is  it 
if  we  slay  our  brother,  and  conceal  his  blood  ? 

Come,  and  let  us  sell  him  to  the  Ishmaelites,  and 
let  not  our  hand  be  upon  him;  for  he  is  our  brother 
and  our  flesh:  and  his  brethren  were  content. 

Then  there  passed  by  Midianite  merchantmen  and 
they  drew  and  lifted  up  Joseph  out  of  the  pit,  and 
sold  Joseph  to  the  Ishmaelites  for  twenty  pieces  of 
silver,  and  they  brought  Joseph  into  Egypt. 

And  Reuben  returned  unto  the  pit,  and,  behold, 
Joseph  was  not  in  the  pit;  and  he  rent  his  clothes. 

And  he  returned  unto  his  brethren,  and  said,  The 
child  is  not;  and  I,  whither  shall  I  go? 

And  thev  took  Joseph's  coat,  and  -killed  a  kid  of 
the  goats,  and  dipped  the  coat  in  the  blood. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL  LESSONS  57 

And  they  sent  the  coat  of  many  colors,  and  they 
brought  it  to  their  father  and  said, This  have  we  found, 
know  now  whether  it  be  thy  son's  coat  or  no. 

And  he  knew  it,  and  said,  It  is  my.son's  coat,  an 
evil  beast  hath  devoured  him;  Joseph  is  without  doubt 
rent  in  pieces. 

And  Jacob  rent  his  clothes,  and  put  sackcloth  upon 
his  loins,  and  mourned  for  his  son  many  days. 

And  all  his  sons  and  all  his  daughters  rose  up  to 
comfort  him;  but  he  refused  to  be  comforted,  and  he 
said,  For  I  will  go  down  into  the  grave  unto  my  son 
mourning.  Thus  his  father  wept  for  him. 

And  the  Midianites  sold  him  into  Egypt  unto  Poti- 
phar,  an  officer  of  Pharaoh's  and  captain  of  the 
guard. 

And  Joseph  was  brought  down  to  Egypt;  and  Poti- 
phar,  an  officer  of  Pharaoh,  captain  of  the  guard,  an 
Egyptain,  bought  him. 

And  his  master  saw  that  the  Lord  was  with  him. 

And  Joseph  found  grace  in  his  sight,  and  he  served 
him,  and  he  made  him  overseer  over  his  house,  and 
all  that  he  had  he  put  into  his  hand.  But  the  mas- 
ter's wife  falsely  accused  him  to  her  husband. 

And  Joseph's  master  took  him  and  put  him  into  the 
prison,  a  place  where  the  king's  prisoners  were  bound, 
and  he  was  there  in  the  prison. 

But  the  Lord  was  with  Joseph,  and  shewed  him 
mercy  and  gave  him  favor  in  the  sight  of  the  keeper 
of  the  prison. 

And  it  came  to  pass  after  these  things,  that  the 
king  of  Egypv,  Pharaoh,  was  wroth  against  two  of 


58  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

his  officers,  against  the  chief  of  the  butlers,  and 
against  the  chief  of  his  bakers. 

And  he  put  them  in  ward  in  the  house  of  the  cap- 
tain of  the  guard,  into  the  prison,  the  place  where 
Joseph  was  bound. 

And  the  captain  of  the  guard  charged  Joseph  with 
them  and  he  attended  them. 

And  they  dreamed  a  dream,  each  man  his  dream  in 
one  night. 

And  Joseph  came  in  unto  them  in  the  morning,  and 
looked  upon  them,  and,  behold,  they  were  sad. 

And  he  asked,  Wherefore  look  ye  so  sadly  to-day  ? 

And  they  said  unto  him,  We  have  dreamed  a 
dream,  and  there  is  no  interpreter  of  it.  And  Joseph 
said,  Do  not  interpretations  belong  to  God  ?  tell  me 
them,  I  pray  you. 

And  the  chief  butler  told  his  dream  to  Joseph,  and 
said  to  him,  In  my  dream,  behold  a  vine  was  before 
me, 

And  in  the  vine  were  three  branches,  and  it  was 
as  though  it  budded,  and  her  blossoms  shot  forth;  and 
the  clusters  thereof  brought  forth  ripe  grapes. 

And  Pharaoh's  cup  was  in  my  hand,  and  I  took  the 
grapes,  and  pressed  them  into  Pharaoh's  cup  and  I 
gave  the  cup  into  Pharaoh's  hand. 

And  Joseph  said  uuto  him,  This  is  the  interpreta- 
tion of  it;  The  three  branches  are  three  days. 

Yet  within  three  days  shall  Pharaoh  lift  up  thine 
head,  and  restore  thee  unto  thy  place;  and  thou  shalt 
deliver  Pharaoh's  cup  into  his  hand,  after  the  former 
manner  when  thou  wast  his  butler. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  59 

But  think  on  me  when  it  shall  be  well  with  thee, 
and  shew  kindness,  I  pray  thee,  unto  me,  and  make 
mention  of  me  unto  Pharaoh  and  bring  me  out  of  this 
house. 

For  indeed  I  was  stolen  away  out  of  the  land  of 
the  Hebrews,  and  here  also  have  I  done  nothing  that 
they  should  put  me  into  the  dungeon. 

When  the  chief  baker  saw  that  the  interpretation 
was  good,  he  said  unto  Joseph,  I  also  was  in  my 
dream,  and,  behold,  I  had  three  white  baskets  on  my 
head. 

And  in  the  uppermost  basket  there  was  of  all  man- 
ner of  bakemeats  for  Pharaoh,  and  the  birds  did  eat 
them  out  of  the  basket  upon  my  head. 

And  Joseph  answered  and  said,  This  is  the  interpre- 
tation thereof:  The  three  baskets  are  three  days. 

Yet  within  three  days  shall  Pharaoh  lift  up  thy 
head  from  off  thee,  and  shall  hang  thee  on  a  tree, 
acd  the  birds  shall  eat  thy  flesh  from  off  thee. 

And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  third  day,  which  was 
Pharaoh's  birthday,  that  he  made  a  feast  unto  all  his 
servants;  and  he  lifted  up  the  head  of  the  chief  but- 
ler and  of  the  chief  baker  among  his  servants. 

And  he  restored  the  chief  butler  unto  his  butler- 
ship  again;  and  he  gave  the  cnp  into  Pharaoh's  hand. 

But  he  hanged  the  chief  baker,  as  Joseph  had  inter- 
preted them. 

Yet  did  not  the  chief  butler  remember  Joseph,  but 
forgot  him. 


60  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

NOTES. 

The  expression  "Son  of  his  old  Age,"  means  he  (Joseph) 
used  to  attend  to  the  wants  of  his  aged  father. 

Undoubtedly  Jacob's  favoritism  and  Joseph's  taking  home 
tales,  caused  the  hatred  of  the  brothers  for  the  latter.  But 
they  should  not  have  allowed  their  hatred  to  grow.  Our 
hatred  unrebuked,  leads  into  awful  crimes.  With  them,  it 
led  them  into  contriving  the  murder  of  Joseph,  for  with  the 
exception  of  Reuben,  they  certainly  desired  that  he  should 
die  of  starvation  in  the  pit.  As  it  was,  they  sold  him,  received 
money  for  his  sale,  and  told  a  most  awful  falsehood  to  their 
aged  father  and  caused  him  intense  grief.  Joseph,  however, 
by  his  diligence,  good  character,  and  evident  truthfulness, 
gained  the  confidence  of  his  master,  until  Potiphar  was 
misled  by  his  wife.  But  even  in  prison  he  gained  the  confi- 
dence of  his  keeper. 

We  must  notice  his  religious  feeling.  He  never  forgot  God, 
as  his  answer  to  the  butler  and  baker  showed. 

As  for  the  butler  forgetting  Joseph, — how  often  we  forget 
those  who  have  benefited  us  when  we  are  out  of  our  trouble. 


LESSON  VIII. 

JOSEPH    BEFORE   PHARAOH. 

TEXT:  "Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters;  for  thou  shalt  find  it 
after  many  days."  Eccles.  xi,  i. 

[Lesson  for  lowest  Grade.  Child's  First  Bible, 
Ch.  vi.] 

And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  two  full  years, 
that  Pharaoh  dreamed:  and,  behold,  he  stood  by  the 
river. 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS  6 1 

Aud,  behold,  there  catne  out  of  the  river  seven  well 
favored  kine  and  fat  fleshed,  and  they  fed  in  a  meadow. 

And,  behold,  seven  other  kine  cams  up  after  them 
out  of  the  river,  ill-favored  and  lean  fleshed,  and  stood 
by  the  other  kine  upon  the  brink  of  the  river. 

And  the  ill-favored  and  lean  fleshed  kine  did  eat  up 
the  seven  well  favored  and  fat  kine.  So  Pharaoh 
awoke. 

And  he  slept  and  dreamed  the  second  time:  and  be- 
hold, seven  ears  of  corn  came  up  upon  one  stalk, 
rank  and  good. 

And,  behold,  seven  thin  ears  and  blasted  with  the 
east  winds  sprang  up  after  them. 

And  the  seven  thin  ears  devoured  the  seven  rank 
and  full  ears.  Aud  Pharaoh  awoke,  and,  behold,  it 
was  a  dream. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  morning  that  his  spirit 
was  troubled;  and  he  sent  and  called  for  all  the  magi- 
cians of  Egypt  and  all  the  wise  men  thereof:  and  Pha- 
raoh told  £f£i&  'his,  dreams;  but  there  was  none  that 
could  interpret  them  unto  Pharaoh. 

Then  spake  the  chief  butler  unto  Pharaoh,  saying, 
I  do  remember  my  faults  this  day. 

Pharaoh  was  wroth  with  his  servants,  and  put  me 
in  ward  in  the  captain  of  the  guard's  house,  both  me 
and  the  chief  baker. 

And  we  dreamed  a  dream  in  one  night,  I  and  he; 
we  dreamed  each  man  according  to  the  interpretation 
of  his  dream. 

And  there  was  there  with  us  a  young  man,  a  He- 


62  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

brew,  servant  to  the  captain  of  the  guard;  and  we  told 
him,  and  he  interpreted  to  us  our  dreams;  to  each  man 
according  to  his  dream  did  he  interpret. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  interpreted  to  us,  so  it 
was;  me  he  restored  unto  mine  office,  and  him  he 
hanged. 

Then  Pharaoh  sent,  and  called  Joseph,  and  they 
brought  him  hastily  out  of  the  dungeon;  and  he 
shaved  himself,  and  changed  hfe  raiment,  and  came  in 
unto  Pharaoh. 

And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Joseph,  I  have  dreamed  a 
dream,  and  there  is  none  that  can  interpret  it:  I  have 
heard  say  of  thee,  that  thou  canst  understand  a  dream 
to  interpret  it. 

And  Joseph  answered  Pharaoh  saying,  It  is  not  in 
me,  God  shall  give  Pharaoh  an  answer  of  peace. 

And  Pharaoh  told  unto  Joseph  his  dream. 

And  Joseph  said,  The  seven  good  kine  are  seven 
years;  and  the  seven  good  ears  are  seven  years,  the 
dream  is  one. 

And  the  seven  thin  and  ill-favored  kine  that  came 
up  after  them  are  seven  years;  and  the  seven  empty 
ears  blasted  with  the  east  wind  shall  be  seven  years  of 
famine. 

This  is  the  thing  which  I  have  spoken  unto  Pha- 
raoh. What  God  is  about  to  do  he  shewed  unto 
Pnaraoh. 

Behold,  there  come  seven  years  of  great  plenty 
throughout  all  ths  land  of  Egypt. 

And  there  shall  arise  after  them  seven  years  of  farn- 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  63 

ine;  and  all  the  plenty  shall  be  forgotten  in  the  land 
of  Egypt;  and  the  famine  shall  consume  the  land. 

And  plenty  shall  not  be  known  in  the  land  by  rea- 
son of  that  famine  following:  for  it  shall  be  very 
grievous. 

And  for  that  the  dream  was  doubled  unto  Pharaoh 
twice;  it  is  because  the  thing  is  established  by  God, 
and  God  will  shortly  bring  it  to  pass. 

Now  therefore  let  Pharaoli  look  out  a  man  discreet 
and  wise,  and  set  him  over  the  land  of  Egypt. 

Let  Pharaoh  do  this,  and  let  him  appoint  officers 
over  the  laud,  and  take  up  the  fifth  part  of  the  land  of 
Egypt  in  the  seven  plenteous  years. 

And  let  him  gather  all  the  food  of  those  good  years 
that  come,  and  lay  up  corn  under  the  hand  of  Pharaoh 
and  let  them  keep  food  in  the  cities. 

And  that  food  shall  be  for  store  to  the  land  against 
the  seven  years  of  famine,  which  shall  be  in  the  land 
of  Egypt:  that  the  land  perish  not  through  the  famine. 

And  the  thing  was  good  in  the  eyes  of  Pharaoh,  and 
in  the  eyes  of  all  his  servants. 

And  Pharaoh  said  unto  his  servants.  Can  we  find 
such  a  one  as  this  is,  a  man  in  whom  the  spirit  of 
God  is? 

And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Joseph,  Forasmuch  as  God 
hath  shewed  thee  all  this,  there  is  none  so  discreet 
and  wise  as  thou  art. 

Thou  shalt  be  over  my  house,  and  according  unto 
thy  word  shall  all  my  peop^  be  ruled  :  only  in  the 
throne  will  I  be  greater  than  thou. 


64  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Joseph,  See  I  have  set  thee 
over  all  the  land  of  Egypt. 

And  Pharaoh  took  off  his  ring  from  his  hand,  and 
put  it  upon  Joseph's  hand,  and  arrayed  him  in  vest- 
ures of  fine  linen;  and  put  a  gold  chain  about  his  neck. 
And  he  made  him  to  ride  in  the  second  chariot 
which  he  had:  and  they  cried  before  him,  Bow  the 
knee:  And  he  made  him  ruler  of  all  the  land  of  Egypt. 

And  Pharaoh  said  unto'Joseph,  I  am  Pharaoh,  and 
without  thee  shall  no  man  lift  up  his  hand  or  foot  in 
all  the  land  of  Egypt. 

And  Pharaoh  called  Joseph's  name  Zaphnath- 
Paaneah;  and  he  gave  him  to  wife  Asenath,  the 
daughter  of  Potiphera,  priest  of  On.  And  Joseph 
went  out  over  all  the  laud  of  Egypt. 

And  Joseph  was  thirty  years  old  when  he  stood  be- 
fore Pharaoh,  king  of  E^ypt,  And  Joseph  went  out 
from  the  presence  of  Pharaoh,  and  went  throughout 
all  the  land  of  Egypt. 

And  in  the  seven  plenteous  years  the  earth  brought 
forth  by  handfuls. 

And  he  gathered  up  all  the  food  of  the  seven  years, 
which  were  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  laid  up  the  food 
in  the  cities:  the  food  of  the  field,  which  was  round 
about  every  city,  laid  he  up  in  the  same. 

And  Joseph  gathered  corn  as  the  sand  of  the  sea, 
very  much,  until  he  left  numbering:  for  it  was  with- 
out number. 

And  unto  Joseph  were  born  two  sons,  before  the 
years  of  famine  came,  which  Asenath  the  daughter  of 
Potiphera  priest  of  On  bore  unto  him. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL   LESSONS  65 

And  Joseph  called  the  name  of  the  first  born  Menas- 
seh:  For  God,  said  he,  hath  made  me  forget  all  my 
toil,  and  all  my  father's  house. 

Aud  the  name  of  the  second  called  he  Ephraim,  for 
God  hath  caused  me  to  be  fruitful  in  the  land  of  my 
affliction. 

And  the  seven  years  of  plenteousness,  that  was  in 
the  land  of  Egypt,  were  ended. 

And  the  seven  years  of  death  began  to  come,  ac- 
cording as  Joseph  had  said;  and  the  dearth  was  in  all 
lands ;  but  in  all  the  land  of  Egypt  there  was 
bread. 

And  when  all  the  land  of  Egypt  was  famished,  the 
people  cried  to  Pharaoh  for  bread,  and  Pharaoh  said 
unto  all  the  Egyptians,  Go  unto  Joseph;  what  he 
saith  to  you  do. 

And  the  tamine  was  over  all  the  face  of  the  earth : 
and  Joseph  opened  all  the  storehouses,  and  sold  unto 
the  Egyptians:  and  the  famine  waxed  sore  in  the  land 
of  Egypt. 

And  all  countries  came  into  Egypt  to  Joseph  to 
buy  corn;  because  that  the  famine  was  so  sore  in  all 
lands. 

NOTES. 

Egypt,  in  ancient  days  and  in  the  later  days  when  Greece 
and  Rome  were  so  mighty,  was  a  great  wheat- producing 
country.  Several  ears  grow  on  one  stalk. 

We  cannot  but  observe  the  truly  religious  spirit  of  Joseph- 
Called  before  Pharaoh  suddenly,  and  accosted  with  all  the 
splendor  of  the  royal  court,  he  never  forgot  he  was  a  He- 


66  SUNDAY   SCHOQ'-  LESSONS 

brew,  a  witness  for  God.  He  answered  Pharaoh  at  once 
God,  not  he,  would  interpret  his  dream.  This  was  very  daring 
for  him  to  say,  for  he  knew  that  Pharaoh  neither  knew  nor 
worshiped  his  God.  It  was  as  much  as  saying  that  his  God 
was  superior  to  all  the  gods  of  Egypt.  Again  and  again 
Joseph  speaks  of  God  to  the  king  in  the  interview. 

And  when  he  was  made  first  after  the  king  in  rank,  and 
was  married,  the  names  he  gave  to  his  children  show  that  his 
heart  was  still  with  his  God  in  spite  of  his  prosperity. 

The  reason  for  the  king's  making  him  marry  a  priest's  daught- 
er was  doubtless  because  the  priests  constituted  the  highest 
order  or  grade  in  Egyptian  society.  This  gave  Joseph  at  once 
a  proper  position  of  respect.  Doubtless  he  had  no  choice 
himself,  but  had  to  obey  the  king's  command  and  marry 
Asenath.  Even  as  Esther  had  to  go  to  Shushan  and  marry 
Ahasuerus  when  he  wanted  her,  as  we  read  in  the  siory  of 
Purim. 


LESSON  IX. 

JOSEPH   TESTING  HIS  BROTHERS. 

TEXT:  Many  are  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous  man,  but  the 
Lord  delivereth  him  out  of  them  all.  (Ps.  xxxiv.  19.) 

LESSON  FOR  LOWEST  GRADE — Child's  First  Bible, 
Ch.  VI I. 

Now,  when  Jacob  saw  that  there  was  corn  in  Egypt, 
Jacob  said  unto  his  sons,  Why  do  ye  look  one  upon 
another  ? 

Behold,  I  have  heard  that  there  is  corn  in  Egypt ; 
get  you  down  thither,  and  buy  us  from  thence:  that 
we  may  live,  and  not  die. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  67 

And  Joseph's  ten  brethren  went  down  to  buy  corn 
in  Egypt. 

But  Benjamin,  Joseph's  brother,  Jacob  sent  not 
with  his  brethren,  for  he  said,  Lest  peradventure 
mischief  befall  him. 

And  the  famine  was  in  the  land  of  Canaan. 

And  Joseph  was  the  governor  over  the  land  of 
Egypt,  and  he  it  was  that  sold  to  all  the  people  of  the 
land,  and  Joseph's  brethren  came,  and  bowed  down 
themselves  before  him  with  their  faces  to  the  earth. 

And  Joseph  saw  his  brethren,  and  he  knew  them, 
but  made  himself  strange  unto  them,  and  spake 
roughly  unto  them,  and  he  said  unto  them,  Whence 
come  ye  ?  and  they  said,  From  the  land  of  Canaan  to 
buy  food. 

And  Joseph  knew  his  brethren,  but  they  knew  not 
him 

And  Joseph  remembered  the  dreams  which  he 
dreamed  of  them,  and  said  unto  them,  Ye  are  spies: 
to  see  the  nakedness  of  the  land  ye  are  come. 

And  they  said  unto  him,  Nay,  my  lord,  but  to  buy 
food  are   thy  servants  come.     We  are  all  one  man's 
,sons;  we  are  true  men;  thy  servants  are  no  spies. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Nay,  but  to  see  the  naked- 
ness of  the  land  ye  are  come. 

And  they  said,  Thy  servants  are  twelve  brethren, 
the  sons  of  one  man  in  the  land  of  Canaan  :  and, 
behold,  the  youngest  is  this  day  with  our  father,  and 
one  is  not. 

And  Joseph  said  unto  them,  That  is  it  that  I  spake 
unto  you,  saying,  Ye  are  spies. 


68  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

Hereby  ye  shall  be  proved,  by  the  life  of  Pharaoh 
ye  shall  not  go  forth  hence,  except  your  youngest 
brother  come  hither : 

Send  one  of  you,  and  let  him  fetch  your  brother, 
aud  ye  shall  be  kept  in  prison,  that  your  words  may 
be  proved,  whether  there  be  any  truth  in  you:  or  else 
by  the  life  of  Pharaoh,  surely  ye  are  spies  ! 

And  he  put  them  all  together  into  ward  three  days. 

And  Joseph  said  unto  them  the  third  day,  This  do, 
and  live,  for  I  fear  God  : 

If  ye  be  true  men,  let  one  of  your  brethren  be  bound 
in  the  house  of  your  prison  :  go  ye;  carry  corn  for  the 
famine  of  your  houses  : 

But  bring  your  youngest  brother  unto  me;  so  shall 
your  words  be  verified,  and  ye  shall  not  die.  Aud 
"they  did  so. 

And  they  said  one' to  another,  We  are  verily  guilty 
concerning  our  brother,  in  that  we  saw  the  anguish 
of  his  soul,  when  he  besought  us,  and  we  would  not 
hear,  therefore  is  this  distress  come  upon  us. 

And  Reuben  answered  them,  saying,  Spake  I  not 
unto  you,  saying,  Do  not  sin  against'  the  child ;  and 
ye  would  not  hear?  therefore,  behold,  also  his  blood 
is  required. 

And  they  knew  not  that  Joseph  understood  them; 
for  he  spake  unto  them  by  an  interpreter. 

And  he  turned  himself  about  from  them,  and  wept: 
and  returned  to  them  again,  aud  communed  with 
them,  and  took  from  them  Simeon,  and  bound  him 
before  their  eyes. 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS  69 

Then  Joseph  commanded  to  fill,  their  sacks  with 
corn,  and  to  restore  every  man's  money  into  his  sack, 
and  to  give  them  provision  for  the  way  :  and  thus  did 
he  unto  them. 

And  they  laded  their  asses  with  the  corn,  and 
departed  thence. 

And  as  one  of  them  opened  his  sack  to  give  his  ass 
provender  in  the  inn,  he  espied  his  money;  for,  behold, 
it  was  in  his  sack's  mouth. 

And  he  said  unto  his  brethren,  My  money  is  restored ; 
and,  lo,  it  is  even  in  my  sack;  and  their  heart  failed 
them,  and  they  were  afraid,  saying  one  to  another, 
What  is  this  that  God  hath  done  unto  us? 

A'nd  they  came  unto  Jacob  their  father  unto  the 
land  of  Canaan,  and  told  him  all  that  befell  unto 
them. 

And  it  came  to  pass  as  they  emptied  their  sacks, 
that,  behold,  every  man's  bundle  of  money  was  in  his 
sack;  and  when  both  they  and  their  father  saw  the 
bundle  of  money,  they  were  afraid. 

And  Jacob  their  father  said  unto  them,  Me  have  ye 
bereaved  of  my  children:  Joseph  is  not,  and  Simeon 
is  not,  and  ye  will  take  Benjamin  away;  all  these 
things  are  against  me. 

And  Reuben  spake  unto  his  father,  saying,  Slay 
my  two  sons,  if  I  bring  him  not  to  thee:  deliver  him 
into  my  hand,  and  I  will  bring  him  to  ihee  again. 

And  he  said,  My  son  shall  not  go  down  with  you, 
for  his  brother  is  dead,  and  he  is  left  alone;  if  mis- 
chief befall  him  by  the  way,  in  the  which  ye  go,  then 


70  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

shall  ye  bring  down  my  gray  hairs  with  sorrows  to  the 
grave. 

And  the  famine  was  sore  in  the  land. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  they  had  eaten  up  the 
corn  which  they  had  brought  out  of  Egypt,  their 
father  said  unto  them,  Go  again,  buy  us  a  little  food. 

And  Judah  spake  unto  him,  saying,  The  man  did 
solemnly  protest  unto  us,  saying,  Ye  shall  not  see  my 
face,  except  your  brother  be  with  you. 

If  thou  wilt  send  our  brother  with  us,  we  will  go 
down  and  buy  thee  food. 

But  if  thou  wilt  not  send  him,  we  will  not  go  down: 
for  the  man  said  unto  us,  Ye  shall  not  see  my  face, 
except  your  brother  be  with  you. 

And  Israel  said,  Wherefore  dealt  ye  so  ill  with  me, 
as  to  tell  the  man  whether  ye  had  yet  a  brother? 

And  they  said,  The  man  asked  us  straitly  of  our 
state,  and  of  our  kindred,  saying,  Is  your  father  yet 
alive?  have  ye  another  brother?  and  we  told  him 
according  to  the  tenor  of  these  words:  Could  we  cer- 
tainly know  that  he  would  say,  Bring  your  brother 
down? 

And  Judah  said  unto  his  father,  Send  the  lad  with 
me,  and  we  will  arise  and  go,  that  we  may  live  and 
not  die,  both  we,  and  thou,  and  also  our  little  ones. 

I  will  be  surety  for  him;  of  my  hand  shalt  thou 
require  him  If  I  bring  him  not  unto  thee,  and  set 
him  before  thee,  then  let  me  bear  the  blame  forever: 

For  except  we  had  lingered,  surely  now  we  had 
returned  this  second  time. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  71 

And  their  father  Israel  said  unto  thein,  If  it  must 
be  so  now,  do  this :  take  of  the  best  fruits  in  the  land 
in  your  vessels  and  carry  down  the  man  a  present,  a 
little  balm,  and  a  little  honey,  spices  and  myrrh,  nuts 
and  almonds. 

And  take  double  money  in  your  hand  :  and  the 
money  that  was  brought  again  in  the  mouth  of  your 
sacks,  carry  it  again  in  your  hand  ;  peradventure  it 
was  an  oversight. 

Take  also  your  brother,  and  arise,  go  again  unto  the 
man  :  « 

And  God  Almighty  give  you  mercy  before  the  man, 
that  he  may  send  away  your  other  brother,  and  Benja- 
min. If  I  be  ( bereaved  of  my  children,  I  am 
bereaved. 

And  the  men  took  that  present,  and  they  took 
double  money  in  their  hand,  and  Benjamin;  and  rose 
up,  and  went  down  to  Egypt,  and  stood  before  Joseph. 

And  when  Joseph  saw  Benjamin  with  them,  he 
said  to  the  ruler  of  his  house,  Bring  these  men  home, 
and  slay,  and  make  ready;  for  these  men  shall  dine 
with  me  at  noon. 

And  the  men  did  as  Joseph  bade ;  and  the  man 
brought  the  men  into  Joseph's  house. 

And  the  men  were  afraid,  because  they  were 
brought  into  Joseph's  house;  and  they  said,  Because 
of  the  money  that  was  returned  in  our  sacks  at  the 
first  time  are  we  brought  in  ;  that  he  may  seek  occa- 
sion against  us,  and  fall  upon  us,  and  take  us  for 
bondmen,  and  our  asses. 


72  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

Aud  they  came  near  to  the  steward  of  Joseph's 
house,  and  they  communed  with  him  at  the  door  of 
the  house. 

And  said,  O,  Sir,  we  came  indeed  down  at  the  first 
time  to  buy  food  : 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  we  came  to  the  inn,  that 
we  opened  our  sacks,  and,  behold,  every  man's  money 
was  in  the  mouth  of  his  sack,  our  money  in  full 
weight :  and  we  have  brought  it  again  in  our  hand. 

And  other  money  have  we  brought  down  in  our 
hapds  to  buy  food,  we  cannot  tell  who  put  our  money 
in  our  sacks. 

And  he  said,  Peace  be  to  you,  fear  not :  your  God, 
and  the  God  of  your  father,  hath  given  you  treasure 
in  your  sacks  :  I  had  your  money.  And  he  brought 
Simeon  out  unto  them. 

And  the  man  brought  the  men  into  Joseph's  house, 
and  gave  them  water,  and  they  washed  their  feet  ; 
and  he  gave  their  asses  provender. 

And  they  made  ready  the  present  against  Joseph 
came  at  noon:  for  they  heard  that  they  should  eat 
bread  there. 

And  when  Joseph  came  home,  they  brought  him 
the  present  which  was  in  their  hand  into  the  house, 
and  bowed  themselves  to  him  to  the  earth. 

And  he  asked  them  of  their  welfare,  and  said,  Is 
your  father  well,  the  old  man  of  whom  ye  spake  ?  Is 
he  yet  alive  ? 

And  they  answered,  Thy  servant  our  father  is  in 
good  health,  he  is  yet  alive.  And  they  bowed  down 
their  heads,  and  made  obeisance. 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL  LESSONS  73 

And  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  saw  his  brother  Ben- 
jamin, his  mother's  son,  and  said,  Is  this  your  younger 
brother,  of  whom  ye  spake  unto  me  ?  And  he  said, 
God  be  gracious  unto  thee,  my  son. 

And  Joseph  made  haste;  for  he  yearned  for  his 
brother  :  and  he  sought  where  to  weep;  and  he  entered 
into  his  chamber,  and  wept  there. 

And  he  washed  his  face,  and  went  out,  and  re- 
frained himself,  and  said,  Set  on  bread. 

And  they  set  on.  for  him  by  himself,  and  for  them 
by  themselves,  and  for  the  Egyptians,  which  did  eat 
with  him,  by  themselves :  because  the  Egyptians 
might  not  eat  bread  with  the  Hebrews  :  for  that  is  an 
abomination  unto  the  Egyptians. 

And  they  set  before  him,  the  first  born  according  to 
his  birthright,  and  the  youngest  according  to  his 
youth;  and  the  men  marvelled  one  at  another. 

And  he  took  and  sentshares  of  food  unto  them  from 
before  him  :  but  Benjamin's  share  was  five  times  as 
much  as  any  of  theirs.  And  they  drank,  and  were 
merry  w7ith  him. 

NOTES. 

Joseph  could  not  welcome  his  brethren  into  Egypt  until  he 
had  ascertained  whether  their  wild  natures  had  been  tamed 
by  the  twenty  years  which  had  passed  since  he  had  been  sold 
by  them  as  a  slave.  If  they  were  still  possessed  with  such 
ungovernable  tempers  and  were  still  as  cruel,  as  unprincipled 
and  as  dishonorable  as  they  had  shown  themselves  in  their 
treatment  of  his  father  and  himself,  they  certainly  would  not 
be  long  in  Egypt  without  compromising  him  in  some  way,  or 


74  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

doing  something  which  would  bring  discredit  upon  him  as 
governor  of  Egypt.  He  owed  faithful  duty  to  his  adopted 
country.  Like  all  true  Hebrews,  where  duty  to  one's  country 
clashes  with  family  duty  or  with  personal  affections,  he 
sacrificed  the  latter  to  the  former. 

By  his  abstaining  from  making  himself  known  to  them  and 
putting  them  to  various  tests,  he  knew  he  would  discover  the 
truth.  He  was  soon  rewarded,  for  almost  immediately  he 
heard  them  reproaching  each  other  for  their  cruelty  to  him! 

Possibly  hiis  insisting  upon  Benjamin  being  brought  down 
to  him  was  to  keep  him  in  Egypt  if  he  discovered  that  they 
were  treating  him  in  the  same  unbrotherly  way  that  he  had 
experienced. 

Let  us  also  remark  how  frequently  he  and  his  brothers 
mentioned  God  in  their  conversation,  showing  the  home- 
training  of  Jacob.  God  for  them  was  an  intimate  word,  full 
of  meaning  in  their  daily  life  and  in  their  daily  doings 


LESSON  X. 

JOSEPH   MAKES   HIMSELF   KNOWN  TO  HIS  BRETHREN 
TEXT:  O  consider  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  good;  blessed  is  the 
man  that  trusteth  in  Him.     (Ps.  xxxiv.  8.) 

And  Joseph  commanded  the  steward  of  his  house, 
saying,  Fill  the  men's  sacks  with  food,  as  much  as 
they  can  carry,  and  put  every  man's  money  in  his 
sack's  mouth. 

And  put  my  silver  cup  in  the  sack's  mouth  of  the 
youngest,  and  his  corn  money.  And  lie  did  so. 

And  at  dawn  the  men  were  sent  away. 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS  75 

And  when  they  were  not  yet  far  off,  Joseph  said 
unto  his  steward,  Up,  follow  after  the  men;  and  when 
thou  dost  overtake  them  say,  Wherefore  have  ye 
rewarded  evil  for  good? 

Is  not  this  it  in  which  my  lord  drinketh? 

And  he  overtook  them,  and  he  spake  unto  them 
these  same"  words 

And  they  said  unto  him,  Wherefore  saith  my  lord 
these  words  ?  God  forbid  that  thy  servants  should  do 
this. 

Behold,  the  money,  which  we  found  in  our  sacks' 
mouths,  we  brought  again  unto  thee  out  of  the  land 
of  Canaan,  how  then  should  we  steal  out  of  thy  lord's 
house  silver  or  gold? 

With  whomsoever  of  thy  servants  it  be  found,  both 
let  him  die,  and  we  also  will  be  my  lord's  bondmen. 

And  he  said,  Now  also  let  it  be  according  unto  your 
words:  he  with  whom  it  is  found  shall  be  my  servant, 
and  ye  shall  be  blameless. 

Then  they  speedily  took  down  every  man  his  sack 
to  the  ground,  and  opened  every  man  his  sack. 

And  he  searched,  and  began  at  the  eldest,  and  left 
at  the  youngest:  and  the  cup  was  found  in  Benjamin's 
sack. 

Then  they  rent  their  clothes,  and  laded  every  man 
his  ass  and  returned  to  the  city,  even  to  Joseph's 
house,  for  he  was  yet  there;  and  they  fell  before  him 
on  the  ground 

And  Joseph  said  unto  them,  What  deed  is  this  that 
ye  have  done  ? 


76  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

And  Judah  said,  What  shall  we  say  unto  my  lord  ? 
What  shall  we  speak?  or  how  shall  we  clear  ourselves? 
God  hath  found  out  the  iniquity  of  thy  servants: 
behold  we  are  my  lord's  servants,  both  we,  and  he 
also  with  whom  the  cup  is  found. 

And  he- said,  God  forbid  that  I  should  do  so:  but 
the  man  in  whose  hand  the  cup  is  found,  h'e  shall  be 
my  servant;  and  as  for  you,  get  you  up  in  peace  unto 
your  father. 

Then  Judah  came  near  unto  him,  and  said,  O  my 
lord,  let  thy  servant,  I  pray  thee,  speak  a  word  in  my 
lord's  ears,  and  let  not  thine  anger  burn  against  thy 
servant;  for  thou  art  even  as  Pharaoh. 

My  lord  asked  his  servants,  saying,  Have  ye  a 
father,  or  a  brother  ? 

And  we  said  unto  my  lord,  We  have  a  father,  an 
old  man,  and  a  child  of  his  old  age,  a  little  one;  and 
his  brother  is  dead,  and  he  alone  is  left  of  his  mother 
and  his  father  loveth  him. 

And  thou  saidst  uuto  thy  servants,  Bring  him  down 
unto  me,  that  I  may  set  mine  eyes  upon  him. 

And  we  said  unto  my  lord,  The  lad  cannot  leave  his 
father;  for  if  he  should  leave  his  father,  his  father 
would  die. 

And  thou  saidst  unto  thy  servants,  Except  your 
youngest  brother  come  down  with  you,  ye  shall  see 
my  face  no  more. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  we  came  up  unto  thy 
servant,  my  father,  we  told  him  the  words  of  my 
lord. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL  LESSONS  77 

And  our  father  said,  Go  again,  and  buy  us  a  little 
food. 

And  we  said,  We  cannot  go  down :  if  our  youngest 
brother  be  wihJ  us,  then  will  we  go  down;  for  we 
may  not  see  the  man's  face,  except  our  youngest 
brother  be  with  us. 

And  thy  servant  my  father  said  unto  us,  Ye  know 
that  my  wife  bare  me  two  sons. 

And  the  one  went  out  from  me,  and  I  said,  Surely 
he  is  torn  in  pieces;  and  I  saw  him  not  since. 

And  if  ye  take  this  also  from  me,  and  mischief 
befall  him,  ye  shall  bring  down  my  gray  hairs  with 
sorrow  to  the  grave. 

Now,  therefore,  when  I  come  to  thy  servant  my 
father,  and  the  lad  be  not  with  us;  seeing  that  his 
life  is  bound  up  in  the  lad's  life. 

It  shall  come  to  pass,  when  he  seeth  that  the  lad  is 
not  with  us,  that  he  will  die,  and  thy  servant  shall 
bring  down  the  gray  hairs  of  thy  servant  our  father 
with  sorrow  to  the  grave. 

For  thy  servant  became  surety  for  the  lad  unto  my 
father,  saying,  If  I  bring  him  not  unto  thee,  then  I 
shall  bear  the  blame  to  my  father  for  ever. 

Now  therefore,  I  pray  thee,  let  thy  servant  abide 
instead  of  the  lad  a  bondman  to  my  lord,  and  let  the 
lad  go  up  with  his  brethren. 

For  how  shall  I  go  up  to  my  father,  and  the  lad  be 
not  with  me  ?  lest  peradventuie  I  see  the  evil  that 
shall  come  on  my  father. 

Then  Joseph  could  not  refrain  himself  before  all 


78  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

them  that  stood  by  him, and  he  cried,  Cause  every  man 
to  go  out  from  me.  And  there  stood  no  man  with  him 
while  Joseph  made  himself  known  unto  his  brethren. 

And  he  wept  aloud:  and  the  Egyptians  and  the 
house  of  Pharoah  heard. 

And  Joseph  said  unto  his  brethren,  I  am  Joseph  I 
doth  my  father  yet  live?  And  his  brethren  could  not 
answer  him,  for  they  were  troubled  at  his  presence. 

And  Joseph  said  unto  his  brethren,  Come  near  to 
me,  I  pray  you,  and  they  came  near;  and  he  said:  I 
am  Joseph  your  brother,  whom  ye  sold  into  Egypt. 

Now  therefore  be  not  grieved,  nor  angry  with  your- 
selves, that  ye  sold  me  hither,  for  God  did  send  me 
before  you  to  preserve  life. 

For  these  two  years  hath  the  famine  been  in  the 
land,  and  yet  there  are  five  years  in  the  which  there 
shall  neither  be  earing  nor  harvest. 

And  God  sent  me  before  you  to  preserve  you  a 
posterity  in  the  earth,  and  to  save  your  lives  by  a 
great  deliverance. 

So  now  it  was  not  you  that  sent  me  hither,  but 
God,  and  He  hath  made  me  a  father  to  Pharaoh,  and 
lord  of  all  his  house,  and  a  ruler  throughout  all  the 
land  of  Egypt. 

Haste  ye  and  go  up  to  my  father,  and  say  unto  him, 
Thus  saith  thy  son  Joseph,  God  hath  made  me  lord  of 
all  Egypt,  come  down  unto  me,  tarry  not. 

And  thou  shalt  dwell  in  the  land  of  Goshen,  and 
thou  shalt  be  near  unto  me,  thou,  and  thy  children, 
and  thy  children's  children,  and  thy  flocks,  and  thy 
herds,  and  all  that  thou  hast. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL. LESSONS  79 

And  there  will  I  nourish  thee,  for  yet  there  are  five 
years  of  famine;  lest  thou,  and  thy  household,  and 
all  that  thou  hast,  come  to  poverty. 

And,  behold,  your  eyes  see,  and  the  eyes  of  my 
brother  Benjamin,  that  it  is  my  mouth  that  speaketh 
unto  you. 

And  he  fell  upon  his  brother  Benjamin's  neck,  and 
wept;  and  Benjamin  wept  upon  his  neck. 

Moreover,  he  kissed  all  his  brethren,  and  wept  upon 
them;  and  after  that  his  brethren  talked  with  him. 

And  the  fame  thereof  was  heard  in  Pharaoh's  house, 
saying,  Joseph's  brethren  are  come,  and  it  pleased 
Pharaoh  well,  and  his  servants. 

And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Joseph,  Say  unto  thy  breth- 
ren, This  do  ye;  lade  your  beasts,  and  go,  get  you 
unto  the  land  of  Canaan. 

And  take  your  father  and  your  households,  and 
come  unto  me  and  I  will  give  you  the  good  of  the 
land  of  Egypt,  and  ye  shall  eat  the  fat  of  the  land. 

Now  thou  art  commanded,  this  do  ye,  take  you 
wagons  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  for  your  little  ones, 
and  for  your  wives,  and  bring  your  father,  and  come. 

Also  regard  not  your  stuff,  for  the  good  of  all  the 
land  of  Egypt  is  yours. 

And  Joseph  gave  them  wagons  and  provisions  for 
the  journey  according  to  the  command  of  Pharaoh. 

To  all  of  them  he  gave  each  man  changes  of  rai- 
ment, but  to  Benjamin  he  gave  three  hundred  pieces 
of  silver  and  five  changes  of  raiment. 

And  to   his  father  he   sent  after  this  manner:  ten 


8o  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

asses  laden  with  the  good  things  of  Egypt,  and  ten 
she-asses  laden  with  corn  and  bread  and  meat  for  his 
father  by  the  way. 

So  he  sent  his  brethren  away,  and  they  departed 
and  he  said  unto  them,  See  that  ye  fall  not  out  by  the 
way. 

And  they  went  up  out  of  Egypt,  and  came  into  the 
land  of  Canaan  unto  Jacob  their  father. 

And  told  him,  saying,  Joseph  is  yet  alive,  and  he 
is  governor  over  all  the  land  of  Egypt.  And  Jacob's 
heart  fainted,  for  he  believed  them  not. 

And  they  told  him  all  the  words  of  Joseph,  which 
he  had  said  unto  them,  and  when  he  saw  the  wagons 
which  Joseph  had  sent  to  carry  him,  the  spirit  of 
Jacob  their  father  revived. 

And  he  said,  It  is  enough,  Joseph  my  son  is  yet 
alive;  I  wiH  go  and  see  him  before  I  die. 

And  Jacob  and  all  his  family  went  down  to  Egypt. 
And  Joseph  went  to" meet  him.  And  he  fell  on  his 
neck  and  wept  a  good  while.  And  Jacob  said,  Now 
let  me  die,  since  I  have  seen  thy  face,  that  thou  art 
yet  alive. 

Then  Joseph  came  and  told  Pharaoh,  and  said,  My 
father  and  my  brethren,  and  their  flocks,  and  their 
herds,  and  all  that  they  have,  are  come  out  of  the 
land  of  Canaan;  and,  behold,  they  are  in  the  land  of 
Goshen. 

And  Pharaoh  spake  unto  Joseph,  saying,  Thy  father 
and  thy  brethren  are  come  unto  thee 

The  land  of  Egypt  is  before  thee;  in  the  best  of  the 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL.  LESSONS  8 1 

land  make  thy  father  aiid  brethren  to  dwell,  in  the 
land  of  Goshen  let  them  dwell,  and  if  thou  kuowest 
any  men  of  activity  among  them,  then  make  them 
rulers  over  my  cattle. 

And  Joseph  brought  in  Jacob  his  father,  and  set 
him  before  Pharaoh;  ano!  Jacob  blessed  Pharaoh. 

And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Jacob,  How  old  art  thou  ? 

And  Jacob  said  unto  Pharaoh,  The  days  of  the  years 
of  my  pilgrimage  are  a  hundred  and  thirty  years,  few 
and  evil  have  the  days  of  the  years  of  my  life  been, 
and  have  not  attained  unto  the  days  of  the  years  of 
the  life  of  my  fathers  in  the  days  of  their  pilgrimage. 

And  Jacob  blessed  Pharaoh,  and  went  out  from 
before  Pharaoh. 

And  Joseph  placed  his  father  and  his  brethren,  and 
gave  them  a  possession  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  in  the 
best  of  the  land,  in  the  land  of  Raamses,  as  Pharaoh 
had  commanded. 

And  Joseph  nourished  his  father,  and  his  brethren, 
and  all  his  father's  household,  with  bread,  according 
to  their  families. 

And  there  was  no  bread  in  all  the  land,  for  the 
famine  was  very  sore,  so  that  the  land  of  Egypt,  and 
all  the  land  of  Canaan,  fainted  by  reason  of  the 
famine. 

And  Joseph  gathered  up  all  the  money  that  was 
found  in  the  laud  of  Egypt,  and  in  the  land  of  Canaan, 
for  the  corn  which  they  bought;  and  Joseph  brought 
the  money  int6  Pharaoh's  house,  and  afterwards  their 


82  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

cattle  and  fields.  And  he  supported  them  and  gave 
them  seed. 

Aud  Jacob  lived  in  the  land  of  Egypt  seventeen 
years,  so  the  whole  age  of  Jacob  was  a  hundred  and 
forty  and  seven  years. 

And  the  time  drew  nigh  that  Israel  must  die,  and 
he  called  his  son  Joseph,  and  said  unto  him,  Bury  me 
not,  I  pray  thee,  in  Egypt.  But  I  will  lie  with  my 
fathers,  and  thou  shalt  carry  me  out  of  Egypt,  and 
bury  me  in  their  burying  place.  And  he  said:  I  will 
do  as  thou  hast  said. 

And  Joseph  brought  to  him  his  two  sons  Menasseh 
and  Ephraim.  And  Jacob  could  not  see  them  clearly 
for  his  eyes  were  dim  with  age.  And  Joseph  brought 
them  near  and  he  kissed  them.  And  he  said,  L,o,  I  did 
not  think  to  see  thy  face,  and  behold,  God  has  allowed 
me  to  see  thy  children. 

And  Joseph  held  them  Menasseh  toward  Jacob's 
right  hand  ani  Ephraim  to  his  left.  But  Jacob  put 
his  right  hand  on  Ephraim  and  his  left  on  Menasseh. 
And  he  blessed  Joseph  and  said,  May  the  God  before 
whom  my  fathers  Abraham  and  Isaac  walked,  who 
has  sustained  me  all  my  life,  He  who  saved  me  from 
all  evil,  bless  these  lads;  and  let  my  name  and  the 
name  of  my  fathers,  Abraham  and  Isaac,  be  named 
upon  them.  May  they  grow  to  a  multitude  in  the 
midst  of  the  earth.  And  Joseph  tried  to  change  his 
father's  hands,  but  Jacob  said,  I  know,  I  know,  but 
the  younger  brother  shall  be  the  greater. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  83 

And  he  blessed  them  that  day,  saying:  In  thee  shall 
Israel  bless,  saying,  May  God  make  thee  as  Ephraitn 
and  as  Menasseh. 

And  he  mentioned  Ephraim  before  Menasseh. 

And  Jacob  said  to  his  sons,  Gather  that  I  may  tell 
you  what  will  happen  to  you  in  the  latter  days. 

And  he  told  them.  And  when  he  had  made  an  end 
he  died.  And  Joseph  fell  upon  his  father's  face  and 
wept  and  kissed  him. 

And  Joseph  commanded  the  physicians  to  embalm 
him,  and  Pharaoh  gave  him  permission  to  leave  Egypt 
to  bury  him. 

And  the  sons  of  Jacob  carried  him  into  the  land  of 
Canaan,  and  buried  him  in  the  cave  of  Machpelah. 

NOTES. 

The  character  of  Joseph  is  much  to  be  admired.  Although 
he  had  to  test  his  brothers,  he  forgave  them  completely  when 
he  found  they  were  worthy. 

We  must  notice  that  Pharaoh  invited  the  father  and  bro- 
thers to  Egypt. 

We  now  find  the  Hebrews  in  Egypt  destined  to  grow  there 
into  a  people,  forced  to  keep  separate  from  the  Egyptians  by 
reason  of  the  Egyptian  caste  system.  This  divided  the  nations 
into  classes,  each  looking  with  contempt  upon  the  class 
beneath  it. 

The  book  of  Genesis,  which  we  have  now  concluded,  pre- 
pares us  for  the  appearance  of  the  Hebrews  as  a  nation, 
ready  to  receive  a  further  development  of  the  Abrahamic 
blessing,  and  accordingly  to  proclaim  that  our  God  is  the  true 


84  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

God.  We  shall  find  first,  That  the  idea  of  God  given  to  them 
to  present  to  the  world  is  a  Being  who  is  Love,  Justice  and 
Purity;  second,  That  they  were  to  protest  against  any  other 
conception  of  God;  thirdly,  That  they  were  to  keep  separate 
from  any  contaminating  religious  influences. 


LESSON  XI. 

THE  HEBREWS  IN   EGYPT. 

THIRD  GRADE,  Child's  First  Bible,  chapter  VIII. 

TEXT:  The  Lord  is  near  to  all  who  call  upon  Him,  to  all  who 
call  upon  Him  in  truth.     Ps..  civ.,  18. 

Now  there  arose  up  a  new  king  over  Egypt,  which 
knew  not  Joseph. 

And  he  said  unto  his  people,  Behold,  the  people  of 
the  children  of  Israel  are  more  and  mightier  than  we. 
Come  on,  let  us  deal  wisely  with  them,  lest  they  mul- 
tiply, and  it  come  to  pass,  that  when  there  falleth  out 
any  war,  they  join  also  unto  our  enemies,  and  fight 
against  us,  and  so  get  them  up  out  of  the  land. 

Therefore  they  did  set  over  them  taskmasters  to 
afflict  them  with  their  burdens.  And  they  built  for 
Pharaoh  treasure  cities,  Pithom  and  Raamses. 

But  the   more  they  afflicted  them,  the    more  they 
multiplied  and  increased.     And  they  were  grieved  be 
cause  of  the  children  of  Israel. 

And  the  Egvptians  made  the  children  of  Israel  to 
serve  with  rigor. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  85 

And  they  made  their  lives  bitter  with  hard  bondage, 
in  mortar,  and  in  brick,  and  in  all  manner  of  service 
in  the  field;  all  their  service,  wherein  they  made  them 
serve,  was  with  rigor. 

And  Pharaoh  charged  all  his  people,  saying,  Every 
son  that  is  born  ye  shall  cast  into  the  river,  and  every 
daughter  ye  shall  save  alive. 

And  there  went  a  man  of  the  house  of  Levi,  and 
took  to  wife  a  daughter  of  L/evi. 

And  the  woman  had  a  son :  and  when  she  saw  him 
that  he  was  a  goodly  child,  she  hid  him  three  months. 

And  when  she  could  not  longer  hide  him,  she  took 
for  him  an  ark  of  bulrushes,  and  daubed  it  with  slime 
and  with  pitch,  and  put  the  child  therein;  and  she 
laid  it  in  the  flags  by  the  river's  brink. 

And  his  sister  stood  afar  off,  to  wit  what  would  be 
done  to  him. 

And  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh  came  down  to  wash 
herself  at  the  river:  and  her  maidens  walked  along  by 
the  river's  side,  and  when  she  saw  the  ark  among  the 
flags,  she  sent  her  maid  to  fetch  it. 

And  when  she  had  opened  it,  she  saw  the  child ; 
and,  behold,  the  babe  wept.  And  she  had  compas- 
sion on  him,  and  said,  This  is  one  of  the  Hebrews' 
children. 

Then  said  his  sister  to  Pharaoh's  daughter,  Shall  I 
go  and  call  to  thee  a  nurse  of  the  Hebrew  women, 
that  she  may  nurse  the  child  for  thee  ? 

And  Pharaoh's  daughter  said  to  her,  Go.  And  the 
maid  went  and  called  the  child's  mother. 


86  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

And  Pharaoh's  daughte;  said  unto  her,  Take  this 
child  away,  and  nurse  it  for  me  and  I  will  give  thee 
thy  wages. 

And  the  woman  took  the  child  and  nursed  it. 

And  the  child  grew,  and  she  brought  him  unto 
Pharaoh's  daughter,  and  he  became  her  son.  And 
she'  called  his  name  Moses;  and  she  said,  Because  I 
drew  him  out  of  the  water. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days,  when  Moses  was 
grown,  that  he  went  out  unto  his  brethren,  and  looked 
on  their  burdens;  and  he  spied  an  Egyptian  smiting 
a  Hebrew,  one  of  his  brethren. 

And  he  looked  this  way  and  that  way,  and  when  he 
saw  that  there  was  no  man,  he  slew  the  Egyptian, 
and  bid  him  in  the  sand. 

And  when  he  went  out  the  second  day,  behold  two 
men  of  the  Hebrews  strove  together:  and  he  said  to 
him  that  did  the  wrong,  Wherefore  smitest  thou  thy 
fellow  ? 

And  he  said,  Who  made  thee  a  prince  and  a  judge 
over  us  ?  intendest  thou  to  kill  me,  as  thou  didst  kill 
the  Egyptian? 

And  Moses  feared,  and  said,  Surely  this  thing  is 
known. 

Now  when  Pharaoh  heard  this  thing,  he  sought  to 
slay  Moses.  But  Moses  fled  from  Pharaoh  and  dwelt 
in  the  land  of  Midiau,  and  he  sat  down  by  a  well. 

Now  the  priest  of  Midiau  had  seven  daughters  and 
they  came  and  drew  water,  and  filled  the  troughs  to 
water  their  father's  flock. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL   LESSONS  87 

And  the  shepherds  came  and  drove  them  away,  but 
Moses  stood  up  and  helped  them  and  watered  theii 
nock. 

And  when  they  came  to  Reuel  their  father,  he  said, 
How  is  it  that  ye  are  come  so  soon  to-day?  And  they 
said,  An  Egyptian  delivered  us  out  the  hand  of  the 
shepherds,  and  also  drew  water  enough  for  us,  and 
watered  the  flock. 

,  And  he  said  unto  his  daughters,  And  where  is  he? 
Why  is  it  that  ye  have  left  the  man;  call  him  that  he 
may  eat  bread. 

And  Moses  was  content  to  dwell  with  the  man,  and 
he  gave  Moses  Zipporah  his  daughter. 

And  she  bare  him  a  son,  and  he  called  his  name 
Gershom;  for  he  said,  I  have  been  a  stranger  in  a 
strange  land. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  process  of  time,  that  the 
king  of  .Egypt  died,  and  the  children  of  Israel  sighed 
by  reason  of  the  bondage,  and  they  cried,  and  their 
cry  came  up  unto  God  by  reason  of  the  bondage. 

And  God  heard  their  groaning,  and  God  remembered 
His  covenant  with  Abraham,  with  Isaac  and  with 
Jacob. 

THE   CALL  OF   MOSES. 

Now  Moses  kept  the  flock  of  Jethro  his  father-in-law, 
the  priest  of  Midian,  and  he  led  the  flock  to"  the  back 
of  the  desert,  and  came  to  the  mountain  of  God,  even 
to  Horeb. 

And  the  Augel  of  the  L/ord  appeared  unto  him  in  a 


88  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

flame  of  fire  out  of  the  midst  of  a  bush;  and  he  looked, 
and,  behold,  the  bush  burned  with  fire  and  the  bush 
was  not  consumed. 

And  Moses  said,  I  will  now  turn  aside  and  see  this 
great  sight  why  the  bush  is  not  burnt 

And  when  the  Lord  saw  that  he  turned  aside  to  see, 
God  called  to  him  out  of  the  midst  of  the  bush  and 
said,  Moses.  Moses,  And  he  siid,  Here  am  I. 

And  He  saH,  Draw  not  nigh  hither:  put  off  thy  shoes 
from  off  thy  feet;  for  the  place  whereon  thou|standest 
is  holy  ground. 

Moreover  He  said,  I  am  the  God  of  thy  fathers,  the 
God  of  Abraham,  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of 
Jacob.  And  Moses  hid  his  face,  for  he  was  afraid  to 
look  toward  God. 

And  the  Lord  said  I  have  surely  seen  the  affliction 
of  my  people  which  are  in  Egypt,  and  have  heard 
their  cry  by  reason  of  their  task-masters:  for  I  know 
their  sorrow. 

And  I  am  come  down  to  deliver  them  out  of  the  hand 
of  the  Egyptian  and  to  bring  them  up  and  out  of  that 
land  unto  a  good  and  wide  land,  into  a  laud  flow- 
ing with  milk  and  honey:  into  the  place  of  the 
Canaanites  and  the  Hittites,  and  the  Amorites  and  the 
Perizzites  and  the  Htvites  and  the  Jebusites.  Now 
therefore  behold  the  cry  of  the  children  of  Israel  is 
come  unto  me;  and  I  have  also  seen  the  oppression 
wherewith  the  Egyptians  oppress  them. 

Come  now  thou,  therefore,  and  I  will  send  thee  unto 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  89 

Pharaoh  that  thou  mayest  bring  forth  my  people,  the 
children  of  Israel,  out  of  Egypt. 

And  Moses  said  unto  God,  Who  am  I  that  I  should 
go  unto  Pharaoh,  and  that  I  should  bring  forth  the 
children  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt  ? 

And  He  said,  Certainly  I  will  be  with  thee,  and  this 
shall  be  a  token  unto  thee  that  I  have  sent  thee:  When 
thou  hast  brought  forth  the  people  out  of  Egypt,  ye 
shall  serve  God  upon  this  mountain. 

And  Moses  said  unto  God,  Behold  when  I  come 
unto  the  children  of  Israel  and  shall  say  unto  them, 
The  God  of  your  fathers  hath  sent  me  unto  you;  and 
they  shall  say  to  me,  What  is  His  name?  what  shall 
I  say  unto  them  ? 

And  God  said  unto  Moses,  I  am  that  I  am.  And  He 
said,  Thus  shalt  thou  say  unto  the  children  of  Israel, 
I  AM  hath  sent  me  unto  you. 

And  God  said  moreover  unto  Moses,  Thus  shalt 
thou  say  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  The  Lord  God 
of  your  fathers,  the  God  of  Abraham,  the  God  of 
Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob,  hath  sent  me  unto  you  ; 
this  is  Myname  forever  and  this  is  My  memorial  unto 
all  generations. 

Go  and  gather  the  elders  of  Israel  together  and  say 
unto  them,  The  I/ord  God  of  your  fathers,  the  God  of 
Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob,  appeared  unto  me 
saying,  I  have  surely  visited  you,  and  seen  that  which 
is  done  to  you  in  Egypt. 

And  they   shall   hearken   to   thy   voice:  and  thou 


90  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

shalt  come,  thou  and  the  elders  of  Israel,  unto  the 
king  of  Egypt,  and  ye  shall  say  unto  him,  The  Lord 
God  of  the  Hebrews  hath  met  with  us. 

And  now  let  us  go  (we  beseech  thee)  three  days' 
journey  into  the  wilderne-s,  that  we  may  sacrifice  to 
the  Lord  our  God. 

And  I  am  sure  that  the  king  of  E^ypt  will  not  let 
you  go,  no,  not  by  a  mighty  hand. 

And  I  will  stretch  out  my  hand  and  smite  Egypt 
with  all  My  wonders  which  I  will  do  in  the  midst 
thereof,  and  after  that  he  will  let  you  go. 

And  I  will  give  this  people  favor  in  the  sight  of  the 
Egyptians;  and  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  when  ye  go, 
ye  shall  not  go  empty. 

But  every  woman  shall  demand  of  her  neighbor, 
and  of  her  that  sojourneth  in  her  house,  jewels  of  sil- 
ver, and  jewels  of  gold,  and  raiment :  and  ye  shall  put 
them  upon  your  sons,  and  upon  your  daughters,  and 
ye  shall  spoil  the  Egyptians. 

And  Moses  answered  and  said,  But  behold  they  will 
not  believe  me,  nor  hearken  unto  my  voice,  for  they 
will  say,  The  Lord  hath  not  appeared  unto  thee. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  What  is  that  in  thine 
hand  ?  And  he  said,  A  rod. 

And  He  said,  Cast  it  on  the  ground,  and  he  cast  it 
on  the  ground  and  it  became  a  serpent,  and  Moses  fled 
from  before  it. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Put  forth  thine  hand 
and  take  it  by  the  tail,  and  he  put  forth  his  hand  and 
caught  it,  aad  it  became  a  rjd  in  his  hand. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL  LESSONS  t)I 

And  the  Lord  said  furthermore  unto  him,  Put  now 
thine  hand  into  thy  bosom.  And  he  put  his  hand 
into  his  bosom,  and  when  he  took  it  out,  behold,  his 
hand  was  leprous  as  snow. 

And  He  said,  Put  thine  hand  into  thy  bosom  again. 
And  he  put  his  hand  into  his  bosom,  and  plucked  it 
out  of  his  bosom,  and,  behold,  it  was  turned  again  as 
his  other  flesh. 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass  if  they  will  not  believe 
thee,  neither  hearken  to  the  voice  of  the  first  sign, 
that  they  will  believe  the  voice  of  the  latter  sign. 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass  if  they  will  not  believe 
also  these  two  signs,  neither  hearken  unto  thy  voice, 
that  thou  shalt  take  of  the  water  of  the  river,  and  pour 
it  upon  the  dry  land,  and  the  water  which  thou  takest 
out  of  the  river  shall  become  blood  upon  the  dry  land. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses.  When  thou  goest  to 
return  into  Egypt,  see  that  thou  do  all  these  wonders 
before  Pharaoh  which  I  have  put  in  thine  hand ;  but 
I  may  harden  his  heart,  should  he  not  let  the  peo- 
ple go. 

And  thou  snalt  say  unto  Pharaoh,  Thus  saith  the 
Lord,  Israel  is  My  son,  even  My  first-born. 

And  I  say  unto  thee,  Let  My  son  go,  that  he  may 
serve  Me ;  and  if  thou  refuse  to  let  him  go,  behold,  I 
will  slay  thy  son,  even  thy  first-born. 

And  Moses  and  Aaron  went  and  gathered  together 
all  the  elders  of  the  children  of  Israel. 

And  Aaron  spake  all  the  words  which  the  Lord 


92  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

had  spoken  unto  Moses,  and  did  the  signs  in  the  sight 
of  the  people. 

Arid  the  people  believed,  and  when  they  heard  that 
the  Lord  had  visited  the  children  of  Israel,  and  that 
He  had  looked  upon  their  affliction,  then  they  bowed 
their  heads  and  worshiped. 

NOTES. 

Pharaoh  was  the  general  title  of  all  the  kings  of 
Egypt. 

The  tribe  of  Levi,  according  to  tradition,  Jcept  alive 
the  hopes  of  the  Hebrews,  and  retained  the  religious 
lessons  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob  more  than  the  other 
tribes  did.  Moses  doubtless  learned  these  through  his  mo- 
ther, who  had  him  in  charge  at  first,  and  naturally  would 
be  always  able  to  see  him  for  years  afterwards.  This 
accounts  for  his  sympathies  being  with  the  Hebrews, 
and  even  throwing  up  a  most  promising  career  which 
was  open  to  him  as  the  adopted  son  of  the  king's 
daughter. 

Moses  was  forty  years  in  Midian,  with  ample  oppor- 
tunity as  a  shepherd  to  meditate  upon  his  people's  past, 
present  and  future:  upon  the  purpose  of  God  concern- 
ing them,  as  revealed  to  the  patriarchs,  and  concerning 
mankind ;  and,  above  all,  upon  His  nature  and  how 
much  of  it  could  a  mortal  man  understand.  He  thus 
prepared  his  mind  for  the  reception  of  Divine  Light,  or 
spiritual  messages,  which  we  call  Revelation.  And  he 
was  the  more  fitted  for  it  by  reason  of  purity  of  charac- 
ter, without  which  no  such  message  can  reach  the  mind 
of  a  human  being. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  93 

LESSON  XII. 

MOSES    BEFORE   PHARAOH. 

TEXT:    Pride  goeth  before   destruction,  and  a  haughty  spirit 
before  a  fall.     (Prov.  xvi.,  18.) 

THIRD  GRADE,  Child's  First  Bible,  chapter  IX. 

And  afterwards  Moses  and  Aaron  went  in  and  told 
Pharaoh,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  Let  My 
people  go  that  they  may  hold  a  feast  unto  Me  in  the 
wilderness. 

And  Pharaoh  said,  Who  is  the  Lord  that  I  should 
obey  His  voice,  and  let  Israel  go  ?  I  know  not  the 
Lord,  neither  will  I  let  Israel  go. 

And  they  said,  The  God  of  the  Hebrew  hath  met 
with  us,  let  us  go,  we  pray  thee,  three  days'  journey 
into  the  desert  and  sacrifice  unto  the  Lord. 

And  the  king  of  Egypt  said  unto  them,  vVherefore 
do  ye,  Moses  and  Aaron,  let  the  people  from  their 
work?:,  get  you  unto  your  burdens. 

And  to  the  task-masters  he  said,  Ye  shall  no  more 
give  the  people  straw  to  make  brick,  as  heretofore,  let 
them  go  and  gather  straw  for  themselves. 

And  the  tale  of  bricks  which  they  did  make  hereto- 
fore ye  shall  lay  upon  them,  ye  shall  not  diminish 
aught  thereof,  for  they  be  idle,  therefore  they  cry  say- 
ing, Let  us  go  and  sacrifice  unto  God. 

So  the  people  were  scattered  abroad,  throughout 
the  land  of  Egypt,  to  gather  stubble  instead  of  straw. 

And  the  taskmasters  hasted  them  saying,  Fulfil 
your  works,  your  daily  tasks  as  when  there  was  straw. 


94  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

And  Moses  was  fourscore  years  old,  and  Aaron 
fourscore  and  three  years  old  when  they  spake  unto 
Pharaoh. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  Say  unto  Aaron, 
Take  thy  rod,  and  stretch  out  thine  hand  upon  the 
waters  of  Egypt,  upon  their  streams,  upon  their 
rivers  and  upon  their  ponds,  and  upon  all  their  pools 
of  water,  that  they  may  become  blood  throughout  all 
the  land  of  Egypt,  both  in  vessels  of  wood  and  vessels 
of  stone. 

And  Moses  and  Aaron  did  so,  as  the  Lord  had  com- 
manded, and  he  lifted  up  the  rod,  and  smote  the 
waters  that  were  in  the  river,  in  the  sight  of  Pharoah 
and  in  the  sight  of  his  servants,  and  all  the  waters 
that  were  in  the  river  were  turned  into  blood. 

And  the  magicians  did  so  with  their  enchantments, 
and  Pharaoh's  heart  was  hardened,  neither  did  he 
hearken  unto  them  as  the  Lord  had  said. 

And  Pharaoh  turned,  and  went  into  his  house, 
neither  did  he  set  his  heart  to  this  also. 

And  all  the  Egyptians  digged  round  about  the 
river  for  water  to  drink,  for  they  could  not  drink  of 
the  water  of  the  river. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  Say  unto  Aaron, 
Stretch  forth  thine  hand  with  thy  rod  over  the 
streams,  over  the  rivers  and  over  the  ponds,  and  cause 
frogs  to  come  up  upon  the  land  of  Egypt. 

And  Aaron  stretched  out  his  hand  over  the  waters 
of  Egypt  and  the  frogs  came  up,  and  covered  the  land 
of  Egypt. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  95 

And  the  magicians  did  so  with  their  enchantments, 
and  brought  up  frogs  upon  the  land  of  Egypt 

Then  Pharaoh  called  for  Moses  and  Aaron,  and 
said,  Entreat  the  Lord  that  He  may  take  away  the 
frogs  from  me,  and  from  my  people,  and  I  will  let  the 
people  go,  that  they  may  do  sacrifice  unto  the  Lord. 

And  Moses  said  unto  Pharaoh,  Glory  over  me, 
when  shall  I  entreat  for  thee  and  for  thy  servants, 
and  for  thy  people,  to  destroy  the  frogs  from  thee  and 
from  thy  houses,  that  they  may  remain  in  the  river  onl>? 

And  he  said, To-morrow.  And  he  said,  Be  it  accord- 
ing to  thy  word,  that  thou  mayest  know  that  there  is 
none  like  unto  the  Lord  our  God. 

And  the  frogs  shall  depart  from  thee  and  from 
thy  houses  and  from  thy  servants,  and  from  thy 
people;  they  shall  remain  in  the  river  only. 

And  the  Lord  did  according  to  the  word  of 
Moses,  and  the  frogs  died  out  of  the  houses,  out  of 
the  villages,  and  out  of  the  fields. 

But  when  Pharaoh  saw  that  there  was  respite,  he 
hardened  his  heart,  and  hearkened  not  unto  them, 
as  the  Lord  had  said. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  say  unto  Aaron, 
Stretch  out  thy  rod  and  smite  the  dust  of  the  land, 
that  it  may  become  vermin  throughout  all  the  land  of 
Egypt.  And  they  did  so. 

Then  the  magicians  said  unto  Pharaoh,  This  is  the 
finger  of  God,  and  Pharaoh's  heart  was  hardened  and 
he  hearkened  not  unto  them  as  the  Lord  had  said. 


'96  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Rise  up  early  in  the 
morning,  and  stand  before  Pharaoh  (lo,  he  cometh 
forth  to  the  water)  and  say  unto  him,  thus  saith  the 
Lord,  Let  my  people  go  that  they  may  serve  me.  Else 
if  thou  will  not  let  my  people  go,  behold  I  will  send 
swarms  (of  flies)  upon  thee,  and  upon  thy  servants, 
and  upon  thy  people,  and  into  thy  houses,  and  the 
houses  of  the  Egyptians  shall  be  full  of  the  swarms, 
and  also  the  ground  whereon  they  are. 

And  I  will  sever  in  that  day  the  land  of  Goshen,  in 
which  my  people  dwell,  and  no  swarms  shall  be  there, 
to  the  end  thou  mayest  know,  that  I  am  the  Lord,  in 
the  midst  of  the  earth.  And  I  will  put  a  division  be- 
tween my  people  and  thy  people.  To-morrow  shall 
this  sign  be. 

And  the  Lord  did  so.  And  there  came  a  grievous 
swarm  (of  flies)  into  the  house  of  Pharaoh  and  into  his 
servants'  houses,  and  into  all  the  land  of  Egypt.  And 
the  land  was  corrupted  by  reason  of  the  swarm. 

And  Pharaoh  called  for  Mo?es  and  for  Aaron,  and 
said,  Go  ye,  sacrifice  to  your  God  in  the  land. 

And  Moses  said,  It  is  not  meet  so  to  do,  for  we  shall 
sacrifice  the  abomination  of  the  Egyptians  to  the  Lord 
our  God:  Lo,  shall  we  sacrifice  the  abomination  of  the 
Egyptians  before  their  eyes  and  will  they  not  stone  us? 

We  will  go  three  days'  journey  into  the  wilderness, 
and  sacrifice  to  the  Lord  as  He  shall  command  us. 

And  Pharaoh  said,  I  will  let  you  go,  that  you  may 
sacrifice  to  the  Lord  your  God  in  the  wildermess,  only 
ye  shall  not  go  very  far  away:  entreat  for  me. 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS  97 

And  Moses  said,  Behold  I  go  out  from  thee,  aud  I 
will  entreat  the  Lord  that  the  swarms  may  depart  from 
Pharaoh,  and  from  his  servants,  and  from  his  people 
to-morrow,  but  let  not  Pharoah  deal  deceitfully  any 
more,  in  not  letting  the  people  go  to  sacrifice  to  the 
Lord.  . 

And  Moses  went  out  from  Pharaoh,  and  entreated 
the  Lord.  And  the  Lord  did  according  to  the  word 
of  Moses,  and  he  removed  the  swarms  of  flies  from 
Pharaoh,  and  from  his  servants,  and  from  his  people: 
there  remained  not  one. 

And  Pharaoh  hardened  his  heart  at  this  time  also, 
neither  would  he  let  the  people  go. 

Then  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  go  in  unto  Pharaoh 
and  tell  him,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  the  He- 
brews, Let  my  people  go  that  they  may  serve  me. 

For,  if  thou  refuse  to  let  them  go,  and  wilt  hold 
them  still,  behold,  the  hand  of  the  Lord  is  upon  thy 
cattle  which  is  in  the  field,  upon  the  horses  and  upon 
the  asses,  upon  the  camels,  and  upon  the  oxen,  and 
upon  the  sheep:  there  shall  be  a  very  grievous 
murrain. 

And  the  Lord  shall  sever  between  the  cattle  of 
Israel  and  the  cattle  of  Egypt,  and  there  shall  nothing 
die  of  all  that  is  the  children's  of  Israel. 

And  the  Lord  appointed  a  set  time,  saying,  To- 
morrow the  Lord  shall  do  this  thing  in  the  land. 

And  the  Lord  did  that  thing  on  the  morrow  and  all 
the  cattle  of  Egypt  died,  but  of  the  cattle  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  died  not  one. 


98  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

Apd  Pharaoh  sent,  aud,  behold,  there  was  not  one 
of  the  cattle  of  the  Israelites  dead,  and  the  heart  of 
Pharaoh  was  hardened,  and  he  did  not  let  the  people 
RO. 

NOTES. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Divine  instructions  to 
Moses  at  the  moment  of  entering  Egypt  to  demand  from 
Pharaoh  the  freedom  of  the  Hebrews,  announced  that  Israel 
was  the  son  of  God,  even  His  first-born. 

This  implies  that  all  other  nations  are  also  God's  children.  In 
fact,  Moses  subsequently  calls  Him  "  God  of  the  spirits  of 
all  mankind,"  and  our  prophets  speak  of  Him  as  "God  of 
all  the  earth,"  whose  house  is  to  be  "a  House  of  Prayer  for 
all  peoples,"  "the  Father  of  all." 

Let  it  be  remembered  also  that  the  Egyptians  were  exter- 
minating the  Hebrews  by  the  cruel  law  commanding  that  all 
males  should  be  cast  in  the  Nile.  God,  therefore,  commanded 
Moses  to  tell  Pharaoh  that  He  would  slay  the  first  born  of 
Egypt  unless  they  freed  His  first-born,  Israel.  Justice  de- 
manded this,  and  God  is  Just. 


LESSON  XII. — (Continued.) 

TEXT:  For  sovereignty  is  the  Lord's,  and  He  is  Ruler  over 
nations.  (Ps.  xxii.  28  ) 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses  and  unto  Aaron, 
Take  to  you  handfuls  of  ashes  of  the  furnace,  and  let 
Moses  sprinkle  it  towards  heaven  in  the  sight  of 
Pharaoh. 

And  it  shall  become  small  dust  in  all  the  land  of 
Egypt,  and  shall  be  a  boil  breaking  forth  with  blatns 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  99 

upon  man  and  upon  beast,  throughout  all  the  land  of 
Egypt. 

And  they  took  ashes  of  the  furnace  and  stood  before 
Pharaoh, -and  Moses  sprinkled  it  up  toward  Heaven, 
and  it  became  a  boil,  breaking  forth  with  blains  upon 
man  and  upon  beast. 

And  the  magicians  could  not  stand  before  Moses, 
because  of  the  boils,  for  the  boil  was  upon  the  magi- 
cians and  upon  all  the  Egyptians. 

And  the  Lord  hardened  the  heart  of  Pharaoh,  and 
he  hearkened  not  unto  them,  as  the  Lord  had  spoken 
unto  Moses. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Stretch  forth  thine 
hand  towards  Heaven  that  there  may  be  hail  in  all 
the  land  of  Egypt,  upon  man  and  upon  beast,  and 
upon  every  herb  of  the  field  throughout  the  land  of 
Egypt. 

And  Moses  stretched  forth  his  rod  toward  heaven, 
and  the  Lord  sent  thunder  and  hail,  and  the  fire  ran 
along  the  ground,  and  the  Lord  rained  hail  upon  the 
land  of  Egypt. 

So  there  was  hail,  and  fire  mingled  with  the  fire, 
very  grievous,  such  as  there  was  none  like  it  in  all 
the  laud  of  Egypt,  since  it  became  a  nation. 

All  the  hail  smote  throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt 
all  that  was  in  the  field  both  mau  and  beast,  and  I  he 
hail  smote  every  herb  of  the  field,  and  brake  every 
tree  of  the  field. 

Only  in  the  land  of  Goshen,  where  the  children  of 
Israel  werej  there  was  no  hail. 


100  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

And  Pharaoh  sent  and  called  for  Moses  and  Aaron, 
and  said  unto  them,  I  have  sinned  this  time,  the  Lord 
is  Righteous,  and  I  and  my  people  are  wicked.  En- 
treat the  Lord,  for  it  is  enough,  that  there  be  no  more 
mighty  thunderings  and  hail,  and  I  will  let  you  go, 
and  ye  shall  stay  here  no  longer. 

And  Moses  said  unto  him,  As  soon  as  I  am  gone  out 
of  the  city,  I  will  spread  abroad  my  hands  unto  the 
Lord,  and  the  thunder  shall  cease,  neither  shall  there 
be  any  more  hail,  that  thou  mayest  know  how  that 
the  earth  is  the  Lord's.  But  as  for  thee  and  thy 
servants,  I  know  that  ye  will  not  yet  fear  the  Lord 
God.  And  Moses  did  so.  And  when  Pharaoh  saw 
that  the  rain  and  the  thunder  and  the  hail  ceased,  he 
continued  to  sin,  he  hardened  his  heart,  he  and  his 
servants. 

And  Moses  and  Aaron  came  in  unto  Pharaoh  and 
said  unto  him,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  the  He- 
brews, How  long  will  thou  refuse  to  humble  thyself 
before  Me?  Let  My  people  go,  that  they  may  serve 
Me;  else  if  thou  refuse  to  let  My  people  go,  behold 
to-morrow  I  will  bring  the  locusts  into  thy  coasts. 

And  they  shall  coyer  the  face  of  the  earth,  that  one 
cannot  be  able  to  see  the  earth,  and  they  shall  eat 
the  residue  of  that  which  is  escaped  which  remaineth 
to  you  from  the  hail,  and  shall  eat  every  tree  which 
groweth  for  you  out  of  the  field. 

And  Pharaoh's  servants  said  to  him,  Letthe  men  go. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Stretch  out  thine 
hand  over  the  land  of  Egypt  for  the  locusts,  that  they 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  IOi 

may  come  up  upon  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  eat  every 
herb  of  the  land,  even  all  that  the  hail  hath  left. 

And  Moses  stretched  forth  his  rod  over  the  land  of 
Egypt,  and  the  L,ord  brought  an  east  wind  upon  the 
land  all  that  day  and  all  that  night:  and  when  it  was 
morning,  the  east  wind  brought  the  locusts. 

And  the  locusts  went  up  over  all  the  land  of  Egypt 
and  rested  in  all  the  coasts  of  Egypt,  very  grievous 
were  they,  before  them  there  were  no  such  locusts  as 
they,  neither  after  them  shall  be  such. 

For  they  covered  the  face  of  the  whole  earth,  so 
that  the  land  was  darkened,  and  they  did  eat  every 
herb  of  the  land,  and  all  the  fruit  of  the  trees  which 
the  hail  had  left,  and  there  remained  not  any  green 
thing  in  the  trees  or  in  the  herbs  of  the  field,  through 
all  the  land  of  Egypt. 

And  Pharaoh  called  for  Moses  and  Aaron  in  haste 
and  said,  I  have  sinned.  Forgive  me  only  this  time 
and  entreat  your  God  that  He  may  take  away  this 
affliction.  And  Moses  did  so.  And  the  Lord  turned 
a  very  strong  west  wind  which  took  up  the  locusts 
and  drove  them  towards  the  Red  sea.  But  Pharaoh's 
heart  wa,s  hardened,  and  he  did  not  let  the  people  go. 

And  the  L/ord  said  unto  Moses.  Stretch  out  thine 
hand  toward  heaven,  that  there  may  be  darkness  over 
the  land  of  Egypt,  even  darkness  which  may  be  felt. 

And  Moses  stretched  forth  his  hand  toward  heaven , 
and  there  was  a  thick  darkness  in  all  the  laud  of  Egypt 
three  days. 

They  saw  not  one  another,  neither   rose  any  man 


102  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

from  his   place  for   three    days,  but    the  children   of 
Israel  had  light  in  their  dwellings. 

And  Pharaoh  called  to  Moses,  Go  serve  the  Lord, 
but  leave  your  cattle;  take  your  children  also. 

And  Moses  said,  Do  thou  also  give  us  to  sacrifice. 
Our  cattle  must  all  go  with  us,  for  thereof  we  must 
take  to  sacrifice. 

But  the  Lord  hardened  Pharaoh's  heart;  he  would 
not  let  them  go  and  he  forbade  Moses  entering  his 
presence  again; 

And  Moses  said,  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  About  mid- 
night, I  will  go  out  into  the  midst  of  Egypt. 

And  all  the  first-born  in  the  laud  of  Egypt  shall  die, 
from  the  first-boru  of  Pharaoh,  that  sitteth  upon  his 
throne,  even  unto  the  first-born  of  the  maid  servant 
that  is  behind  the  mill,  and  all  the  first-born  of  beasts. 

And  there  shall  be  a  great  cry  throughout  all  the 
land  of  Egypt  such  as  there  was  none  like  it,  nor 
shall  be  like  it  anymore. 

But  against  any  of  the  children  of  Israel,  shall  not 
a  dog  move  his  tongue,  against  man  or  beast,  that  ye 
may  know  how  that  the  Lord  doth  put  a  difference 
between  Egypt  and  Israel. 

And  all  these  thy  servants  shall  come  down  unto 
me,    and  bow  down  unto  me  saying,  Get  thee  out, 
and  all  the  people  that  follow  thee,  and  after  that  I 
will  go. 
'     And  he  went  out  from  Pharoah  in  a  great  anger. 

Then  Moses  called  for  all  the  elders  of  Israel, 
and  said" unto  them,  Draw  out,  and  take  you  a  lamb 
according  to  your  families,  and  kill  the  passover. 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL    LESSONS  1 03 

And  ye  shall  take  a  buuch  of  hyssop,  and  dip  it  in 
the  blood  that  is  in  the  basin,  and  strike  the  lintel, 
and  the  two  side  posts,  with  the  blood  that  is  in  the 
basin,  and  none  of  you  shall  go  out  at  .the  door  of  his 
house,  until  the  morning. 

For  the  Lord  will  pass  through  to  smite  the  Egypt- 
ians, and  when  he  seeth  the  blood  upon  the  lintel  and 
on  the  two  side  posts,  the  Lord  will  pass  over  door, 
and  will  not  suffer  the  destroyer  to  come  into  your 
houses  to  smite  you. 

And  ye  shall  observe  this  thing  for  an  ordinance, 
to  thee,  and  to  thy  sons  forever. 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  when  ye  be  come  to 
the  land  which  the  Lord  will  give  you  according  as 
He  hath  promised,  that  you  shall  keep  this  service. 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  when  your  children 
shall  say  unto  you,  What  mean  ye  by  this  service  ? 

That  ye  shall  say,  It  is  the  sacrifice  of  the  Lord's 
passover,  who  passed  over  the  houses  of  the  children 
of  Israel  in  Egypt,  when  he  smote  the  Egyptians, 
aud  delivered  our  houses.  And  the  children  of  Israel 
went  away,  and  did  as  the  Lord  had  commanded 
Moses  and  Aaron,  so  did  they, 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that  at  midnight  the  Lord 
smote  all  the  first-born  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  from 
the  first-born  of  Pharoah,  who  sat  on  his  throne,  unto 
the  first-born  of  the  captive  that  was  in  the  dungeon, 
and  all  the  first-born  of  cattle. 

And  Pharaoh  rose  up  in  the  night,  he  and  all  his 
servants,  and  all  the  Egyptians  and  there  was  a  great 


104  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

cry  in  Egypt,  for  there  was  not  a  house  where  there 
was  not  one  dead. 

And  he  called  for  Moses  and  Aaron  by  night,  and 
said,  Rise  up  and  get  you  both  from  among  my 
people,  both  ye,  and  the  children  of  Israel,  and  go 
serve  the  Lord  as  ye  have  said. 

Also  take  your  flocks  and  your  herds  as  ye  have 
said,  and  be  gone,  and  bless  me  also. 

And  the  Egyptians  were  urgent  upon  the  people, 
that  they  might  send  them  out  of  the  land  in  haste, 
for  they  said,  We  be  all  dead  men. 

And  the  people  took  their  dough  before  it  was  leav- 
ened, their  kneading  troughs  beine  bound  up  in  their 
clothes  upon  their  shoulders. 

And  the  children  of  Israel  did  according  to  the 
word  of  Moses,  and  they  demanded  of  the  Egyptians 
jewels  of  silver  and  jewels  of  gold  and  raiment. 

And  the  Lord  gave  the  people  favor  in  the  sight  of 
the  Egyptians  so  that  they  let  them  have  such  things 
as  they  required,  and  they  spoiled  the  Egyptians. 

And  the  children  of  Israel  journeyed  from  Raamses 
to  Succoth,  about  six  hundred  thousand  on  foot,  that 
were  men,  besides  children.  And  a  mixed  multitude 
went  up  also  with  them,  and  flocks  and  herds,  even 
very  much  cattle. 

And  they  baked  unleavened  cakes  of  the  dough 
which  they  brought  out  of  Egypt,  for  it  was  not  leav- 
ened, because  they  were  thrust  out  of  Egypt,  and  could 
not  tarry,  neither  had  they  prepared  for  themselves 
any  victual. 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS  105 

Now  the  sojourning  of  the  children  of  Israel  who 
dwell  in  Egypt,  was  four  hundred  and  thirty  years. 

And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  the  four  hundred 
and  thirty  years,  even  the  self  same  day  it  came  to 
pass,  that  all  the  hosts  of  the  Lord  went  out  from  the 
land  of  Egypt. 

It  is  a  night  to  be  much  observed  unto  the  Lord, 
for  bringing  them  out  from  the  land  of  Egypt,  this  is 
that  night  of  the  Lord  to  be  observed  of  all  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  in  their  generations. 

NOTES. 

This  death  of  the  first-born  was  the  first  plague  threatened, 
but  the  last  inflicted.  For  God  always  tempers  justice  with 
mercy.  Love  demands  this  and  God  is  Love,  lie  therefore 
sent  nine  other  punishments  or  plagues  to  induce  Pharaoh  to 
free  the  Hebrews  and  so  render  it  unnecessary  to  destroy  the 
first-born.  These  nine  were  of  gradually  increasing  severity. 
The  first,  the  waters  of  the  Nile  changed  to  blood,  was  simply 
a  source  of  inconvenience.  The  next  three  plagues  pre- 
vented worship.  For  we  learn  from  ancient  classic  writers  that 
the  priests  could  not  perform  their  duties  with  any  uncleanli- 
ness  around  or  on  them.  The  fifth  (murrain  or  death  of  the 
animals),  like  the  seventh  and  eighth  (storm  and  locusts), 
meant  loss  to  the  country  the  sixth  (boils  and  blains)  was 
bodily  suffering;  the  ninth,  (darkness  for  three  days)  was  men- 
tal suffering.  All  this  while,  human  life  had  not  been  touched. 
At  last  when  nine  had  been  inflicted  and  Pharaoh  remained 
obstinate,  the  tenth  was  sent. 

All  these  plagues,  however,  had  a  deeper  purpose  yet. 
They  were  specially  directed  against  all  of  Egypt's  false  gods. 


106  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

The  Egyptians  held  the  Nile  as  sacred.  It  was  turned  into 
blood.  They  revered  certain  fishes.  The  fish  all  died.  They 
worshiped  frogs.  Frogs  became  a  pest.  The  priests  might  not 
worship  when  infested  with  vermin.  Thus  all  worship  was 
stopped ,  and  it  was  thus  proved  that  Egypt's  gods  could  not 
help  themselves.  That  they  could  not  save  themselves  nor 
the  country  of  their  worshipers,  nor  the  worshipers,  was  proved 
by  the  remaining  plagues.  Even  their  god  of  life,  Osiris,  was 
proved  false,  for  he  could  not  save  the  first-born.  Hence  the 
Bible  states  that  God  executed  judgments  on  all  the  gods  of 
Egypt. 

Concerning  the  expression,  the  hardening  of  Pharaoh's 
heart,  it  must  be  remarked  that  Pharaoh  appears  to  have 
thought  that  God  could  not  or  would  not  fulfill  His  original 
threat  of  slaying  Egypt's  first-born. 

If  a  child  believes  his  father  is  not  in  earnest  when  he 
threatens  a  punishment  and  does  not  inflict  it  and  forgives 
him  ovei  and  over  again  just  for  the  asking,  the  father's 
clemency  helps  to  make  the  child  obstinate.  The  father  may 
thus  be  called  the  cause  of  the  child's  hardening  his  heart. 
It  is  in  this  sense  that  we  must  understand  the  phrase  '•  God 
hardened  Pharaoh's  heart."  It  was  God's  clemency  and 
constant  forgiveness  which  hardened  Pharaoh's  heart. 


LESSON  XIII. 

THE  DEPARTURE  FROM  EGYPT. 

TEXT:  Trust  in  Him  at  all  times,  ye  people;  pour  out  your  heart 
before  Him  ,  God  is  a  refuge  for  us.     (Ps.  Ixii.  8). 

LESSON  FOR  GRADElIL- Child's  First  Bible,  Ch.XI. 

And   it   came  to  pass,  when   Pharaoh  had  let  the 

people  go,  that  God  led  them  not  through  the  way  of 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  1 07 

the  land  of  the  Philistines,  although  that  was  near, 
for  He  said,  Lest  peradventure  the  people  repent 
when  they  see  war,  and  they  return  to  Egypt. 

But  God  led  the  people  about  through  the  way  of 
the  wilderness  of  the  Red  Sea,  and  the  children  of 
Israel  went  up  armored  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt. 
And  Moses  took  the  bones  of  Joseph  with  him,  for  he 
had  straitly  sworn  the  children  of  Israel,  saying,  God 
will  surely  visit  you,  and  ye  shall  carry  up  my  bones 
hence  with  you. 

And  they  took  their  journey  from  Succoth,  and 
encamped  in  Etham,  in  the  edge  of  the  wilderness. 

And  the  Lord  went  before  them  by  day  in  a  pillar 
of  cloud  to  lead  them  the  way,  and  by  night  in  a 
pillar  of  fire  to  give  them  light,  to  go  by  day  and  night. 

He  took  not  away  the  pillar  of  the  cloud  by  day, 
nor  the  pillar  of  fire  by  night,  from  before  the  people. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying : 

Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel  that  they  turn 
and  encamp  before  Pi-hahiroth,  between  Migdol  and 
the  sea  over  against  Baal-zephon;  opposite  it  shall  ye 
encamp  by  the  sea. 

For  Pharaoh  will  say  of  the  children  of  Israel,  They 
are  entangled  in  the  land;  the  wilderness  hath  shut 
them  in. 

And  I  will  harden  Pharaoh's  heart,  and  he  shall  fol- 
low after  them,  and  I  will  be  honored  through  Pharaoh 
and  through  all  his  host,  that  the  Egyptians  may  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord.  And  they  did  ?o. 

And  it  was  told  the  king  of  Egypt  that  the  people 


108  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

had  fled ;  and  the  heart  of  Pharaoh,  and  of  his  servants, 
was  turned  against  the  people,  and  they  said,  What 
is  this  we  have  done,  that  we  have  let  Israel  go  from 
serving  us  ! 

And  he  made  ready  his  chariot,  and  took  his  people 
with  him. 

And  he  took  six  hundred  chosen  chariots,  and  all 
the  chariots  of  Egypt,  and  the  captains  (see  note)  over 
every  one  of  them. 

But  the  Egyptians  pursued  after  them,  all  the 
horses  and  chariots  of  Pharaoh  and  his  horsemen  and 
his  army,  and  overtook  them  encamping  by  the  sea, 
beside  Pi-hahiroth  before  Baal-zephon. 

And  Pharaoh  drew  nigh  and  the  children  of  Israel 
lifted  up  their  eyes,  and  behold  Egypt  was  marching 
after  them,  and  they  were  sore  afraid,  and  they  cried 
out  unto  the  Lord. 

And  they  said  unto  Moses,  Was  it  because  there 
were  no  graves  in  Egypt  that  thou  hast  taken  us  to 
die  in  the  wilderness?  What  is  this  thou  hast  done 
to  us  to  take  us  forth  out  of  Egypt? 

Is  this  not  the  word  which  we  did  tell  thee  in 
Egvpt,  saying,  Let  us  alone  that  we  may  serve  the 
Egyptians?  For  it  had  been  better  for  us  to  serve  the 
Egyptians  than  that  we  should  die  in  the  wilderness. 

And  Moses  said  unto  the  people,  Fear  ye  not,  stand 
still,  and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord,  which  He  will 
show  to  you  to-day,  for  the  Egyptians  whom  ye  have 
seen  to-day  ye  shall  see  them  again  no  more  forever. 

The  Lord  shall  fight  for  you,  but  ye  shall  hold  your 
peace. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  109 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Wherefore  criest 
thoti  unto  Me?  Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel  that 
they  go  forward. 

But  lift  thou  up  thy  rod  and  stretch  out  thine  hand 
over  the  sea  and  divide  it,  and  the  children  of  Israel 
shall  go  on  dry  ground  through  the  midst  of  the  sea. 

And  the  angel  which  went  before  the  camp  of 
Israel  removed  and  went  behind  them,  and  the  pillar 
of  the  cloud  went  from  before  them,  and  stood  behind 
them. 

And  it  went  between  the  camp  of  the  Egyptians 
and  the  camp  of  Israel,  and  it  was  a  cloud,  and  dark- 
ness, but  it  illumined  -the  night,  and  one  came  not 
near  the  other  all  the  night. 

Aad  Moses  stretched  out  his  hand  over  the  sea,  and 
the  Lord  caused  the  sea  to  go  back  by  a  strong  east 
wind  all  that  night,  and  made  the  sea  dry  land,  and 
the  waters  were  divided. 

And  the  children  of  Israel  went  into  the  midst  of  the 
sea,  upon  the  dry  ground,  and  the  waters  were  a  wall 
unto  them  on  their  right  hand  and  on  their  left.  And 
the  Egyptians  pursued  and  went  in  after  them  to  the 
midst  of  the  sea,  even  all  Pharaoh's  horses,  his 
chariots,  and  his  horsemen. 

And  it  came  to  pass  that  in  the  morning  watch,  the 
Lord  looked  unto  the  hosts  of  the  Egyptians  through 
the  pillar  of  fire  and  of  the  cloud,  and  confused  the 
host  of  the  Egyptians,  and  took  off  their  chariot 
wheels,  and  they  drave  them  heavily,  so  that  Egypt 
said,  Let  me  flee  from  the  face  of  Israel,  for  the  Lord 
fighteth  for  them  against  Hgypt. 


110  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Stretch  out  thine 
hand  over  the  sea,  that  the  waters  may  come  again 
upon  the  Egyptians,  upon  their  chariots  and  upon 
their  horsemen. 

And  Moses  stretched  forth  his  hand  over  the  s«^a, 
and  the  sea  returned  to  its  strength  towards  morning, 
and  the  Egyptians  fled  from  meeting  it;  and  the  Lord 
overthrew  the  Egyptians  in  the  midst  of  the  sea. 

And  the  waters  returned  and  covered  the  chariots 
and  the  horsemen  of  all  the  host  of  Pharaoh,  that 
came  into  the  sea  after  them:  there  remained  not  so 
much  as  one  of  them. 

But  the  children  of  Israel  went  upon  dry  land  in 
the  midst  of  the  sea,  and  the  waters  were  a  wall  unto 
them  on  their  right  hand  and  on  their  left.  • 

Thus  the  Lord  saved  Israel  that  day  out  of  the  hand 
of  the  Egyptians,  and  Israel  saw  the  Egyptians  dead 
upon  the  seashore. 

And  Israel  saw  that  great  work  which  the  Lord  did 
upon  the  Egyptians,  and  the  people  reverenced  the 
Lord,  and  believed  in  the  Lord  and  in  His  servant 
Moses. 

Then  sang  Moses  and  the  children  of  Israel  this 
song  unto  the  Lord,  and  spake,  saying,  I  will  sing 
unto  the  Lord,  for  He  hath  triumphed  gloriously,  the 
horse  and  his  rider  hath  he  thrown  into  the  sea. 

And  Miriam  the  prophetess,  the  sister  of  Aaron, 
took  a  timbrel  in  her  hand,  and  all  the  women  went 
after  her,  with  timbrels  and  with  dances. 

And  Miriam  answered  them,  Sing  ye  to  the  Lord, 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL   LESSONS  1 1  I 

for  He  hath  triumphed  gloriously,  the  horse  and  his 
rider  hath  He  thrown  into  the  sea. 

So  Moses  made  Israel  journey  from  the  Red  Sea,  and 
they  went  out  into  the  wilderness  of  Shur,  and  they 
"went  three  days  in  the  wilderness  and  found  no  water. 

And  when  they  came  to  Marah,  they  could  not 
drink  of  the  waters  of  Marah,  for  they  were  bitter, 
therefore  the  name  of  it  was  called  Marah. 

And  the  people  murmured  against  Moses,  saying, 
What  shall  we  drink? 

And  he  cried  unto  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  shewed 
him  wood,  and  he  cast  it  into  the  waters,  and  the 
waters  were  made  sweet;  there  he  made  for  them  a 
statute  and  an  ordinance,  and  there  he  proved  them. 

And  said,  If  thou  wilt  diligently  hearken  unto  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  wilt  do  that  which  is 
right  in  His  sight,  and  wilt  give  ear  to  His  command- 
ments and  keep  all  His  statutes,  I  wilt  put  none  of 
these  diseases  upon  thee  which  I  have  brought  upon 
the  Egyptians,  for  I  am  the  Lord  that  healeth  thee. 

And  the  children  of  Israel  came  to  Elim,  and  there 
were  twelve  wells  of  water  and  seventy  palm  (groves), 
and  they  encamped  by  the  waters.  And  they  jour- 
neyed to  the  wilderness  of  sin.  And  they  murmured 
against  Moses  and  Aaron.  And  they  said  unto  them, 
Would  that  we  had  died  by  the  hand  of  the  Lord  in 
the  land  of  Egypt,  when  we  sat  by  the  fleshpots,  and 
when  we  did  eat  bread  to  the  full !  For  ye  have  brought 
us  forth  into  this  wilderness,  to  kill  this  whole  assem- 
bly with  hunger. 


112  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

Then  said  the  Lord  unto  Moses,  Behold,  I  will  rain 
bread  from  heaven  for  you,  and  the  people  shall  go 
out  and  gather  a  certain  rate  every  day,  that  I  may 
prove  them,  whether  they  will  walk  in  My  law  or  not.^ 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  on  the  sixth  day 
they  shall  prepare  that  which  they  bring  in,  and  it 
shall  be  twice  as  much  as  they  gather  daily. 

I  have  heard  the  murmurings  of  the  children  of 
Israel.  Speak  unto  them,  saying,  At  even  ye  shall 
eat  flesh,  and  in  the  morning  ye  shall  be  filled  with 
bread,  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  your 
God. 

And  it  came  to  pass  that  at  even  the  quails  came 
up  and  covered  the  camp,  and  in  the  morning  the 
dew  lay  round  about  the  host 

And  when  the  dew  that  lay  was  gone  up,  behold, 
upon  the  face  of  the  wilderness  there  lay  a  small  round 
thing,  as  small  as  the  hoar  frost  upon  the  ground. 

And  when  the  children  of  Israel  saw  ft,  they  said 
one  unto  another,  It  is  manna,  for  they  wist  not  what 
it  was.  And  Moses  said  unto  them,  This  is  the  bread 
which  the  Lord  hath  given  unto  youxto  eat. 

This  is  the  thing  which  the  Lord  hath  commanded, 
Gather  of  it  every  man  according  to  his  eating,  an 
omer  for  every  man,  according  to  the  number  of  your 
persons,  take  ye  every  man  for  them  which  are  in  his 
tents. 

And  the  children  of  Israel  did  so,  and  gathered,  some 
more,  some  less. 

And  Moses  said,  Let  no  man  leave  of  it  till  the 
morning. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  113 

Notwithstanding,  they  hearkened  not  unto  Moses, 
but  some  of  them  left  it  until  the  morning,  and  it 
bred  worms  and  stank,  and  Moses  was  wroth  with 
them. 

And  they  gathered  it  every  morning,  every  man 
according  to  his  eating,  and  when  the  sun  waxed  hot, 
it  melted. 

And  it  came  to  pass  that  on  the  sixth  day  they 
gathered  twice  as  much  bread,  two  omersforoue  man, 
and  all  the  rulers  of  the  congregation  came  and  told 
Moses. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  This  is  what  the  Lord  hath 
said,  To-morrow  is  the  rest  of  the  holy  Sabbath  unto 
the  Lord;  bake  that  which  ye  will  bake  to-day,  and 
seethe  that  which  ye  will  seethe,  and  that  which 
remaineth  over,  lay  up  for  you  to  be  kept  until  the 
morning. 

And  they  laid  it  up  till  the  morning  as  Moses 
bade,  and  it  did  not  stink,  neither  was  theie  any 
worm  therein. 

And  Moses  said,  Bat  that  to-day,  for  to-day  is  a 
Sabbath  unto  the  Lord;  to-day  ye  shall  not  find  it  in 
the  field. 

Six  days  ye  shall  gather  it,  but  on  the  seventh  day, 
which  is  the  Sabbath,  in  it  there  shall  be  none. 

NOTES. 

When  the  Hebrews  left  Egypt,  they  inarched  westward 
towards  the  Red  Sea,  which  in  Hebrew  is  called  the  Sea  of 
Flags,  in  allusion  to  the  flags  or  rushes  growing  by  it. 


114  SUN1MV    St.'HOoI.    LESSON- 

It  was  easy  for  Pharaoh  s  army  to  overtake  them  ;  for  the 
Hebrews  could  not  march  as  rapidly  with  the  women,  chil- 
dren and  cattle  in  their  midst . 

The  captains  of  the  chariots  were  probably  the  three  men 
in  each  chariot,  as  the  root  of  the  Hebrew  word  means  three. 
These  three  were  one  man  to  drive,  a  second  man  to  fight, 
and  a  third  to  defend  all  three  as  much  as  possible  with  a 
large  shield,  so  that  the  first  and  second  could  drive  and  attack 
more  freely.  The  pictures  on  ancient  Egyptian  ruins  amply 
illustrate  this  method  of  warfare. 

We  cannot  but  notice  how  quickly  the  Hebrews  lost  cour- 
age when  they  saw  the  Egyptians  in  pursuit.  We  must 
remember,  however,  how  totally  unaccustomed  they  were 
to  war,  and  afeo  that  the  less  educated  are  always  more 
likely  to  be  panic-stricken.  As  slaves,  they  had  never  been 
educated  up  to  meeting  emergencies.  Moses,  on  the  other 
hand,  was  fearless,  and  bade  the  people  remain  silent  or 
tranquil,  for  he  had  firm  faith  in  God,  who  would  fight  for 
them. 

Our  traditions  tell  us,  however,  that  some  of  the  Hebrews 
actually  wanted  to  face  round  and  fight,  that  others  wished  to 
surrender,  and  yet  others  to  try  and  escape  by  flight. 

The  date  of  the  Exodus  was  about  the  year  1492  before  the 
common  era— a  date  easily  remembered,  as  the  departure  from 
Spain  was  1492  years  after  the  common  era  began,  and  the 
same  year  when  Columbus  discovered  America. 

The  song  of  Moses  forms  part  of  the  ritual  to-day  in  nearly 
all  Jewish  congregations  in  America,  and  in  all,  except  one. 
in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa  and  Australia. 

The  fact  that  Miriam  and  the  women  of  Israel  sang  by 
themselves,  separated  from  the  men,  must  not  be  considered 
any  reflection  upon  the  se.x..  For  women  were  regarded 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS  I  «  5 

always  in  the  Bible  as  the  equals  of  men,  and,  as  we  read 
therein,  there  was  a  queen,  a  woman-prophet  and  a  woman- 
president  (2  Kings,  xi.  1-3;  xxii.  14;  Judges  iv.  4). 


LESSON  XIV. 
MASSAH  AND  M  ERIE  AH. 

TEXT:    Our  help  is  in   the  name   of   the  Lord  \vho    made   the 
heavens  and  the  earth.     (Ps.  cxxiv.  8.) 

LESSON  FOR  GRADE  III. — Child's  First  Bible, 
Chapter  XII. 

And  they  journeyed  from  Sin  to  Rephidim,  and 
there  was  no  water  for  the  people  to  drink. 

Whereupon  the  people  did  chide  with  Moses,  and 
said,  Give  us  water  that  we  may  drink.  And  Moses 
said  unto  them,  Why  chide  ye  with  me,  wherefore  do 
ye  tempt  the  Lord  ? 

And  the  people  thirsted  there  for  water,  and  the 
people  murmured  against  Moses  and  said,  Wherefore 
is  this,  that  thou  hast  brought  us  out  of  Egypt. to  kilj 
us,  and  our  children,  and  our  cattle,  with  thirst? 

And  Moses  said  unto  the  Lord,  saying,  What  shall 
I  do  unto  this  people  ?  They  be  almost  ready  to  stone 
me. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Go  on  before  the 
people,  and  take  with  thee  of  the  elders  of  Israel,  and 
thy  rod  wherewith  thou  smotest  the  river  take  in 
thine  hand  and  go. 

Behold,  I  will  stand  before  thee  there  upon  the  rock 


Il6  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

in  Horeb,  and  thou  shall  smite  the  rock,  and   there 
shall  come  water  out  of  it,  that  the  people  may  drink. 

And  Moses  did  so  in  the  sight  of  the  elders  of  Israel. 

And  he  called  the  name  of  the  place  Massah  and 
Meribah,  because  of  the  chiding  of  the  children  .of 
Israel,  and  because  they  tempted  the  Lord,  saying,  Is 
the  Lord  among  us  or  not  ? 

Then  came  Amalek  and  fought  against  Israel  in* 
Rephidim. 

And  Moses  said  unto  Joshua,  Choose  us  out  men, 
and  go  out,  fight  with  Amalek :  to-morrow  I  will 
stand  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  with  the  rod  of  God  in 
mine  hand. 

So  Joshua  did  as  Moses  had  said  to  him,  and  fought 
with  Amalek;  and  Moses,  Aaron  and  Hur  went  up  to 
the  top  of  the  hill. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Moses  held  up  his  hand 
that  Israel  prevailed,  and  when  he  let  down  his  hand 
Amalek  prevailed. 

But  Moses'  hands  were  heavy,  and  they  took  a  stone 
and  put  it  under  him,  and  he  sat  thereon,  and  Aaron 
and  Hur  held  up  his  hands,  the  one  on  the  one  side, 
and  the  other  on  the  other  side;  and  his  hands  were 
steady  until  the  going  down  of  the  sun. 

And  Joshua  discomfited  Amalek  and  his  people  with 
the  edge  of  the  sword. 

THE  VISIT  OF  JETHRO. 

And  Jethro  the  priest  of  Midian,  Moses'  father-in- 
law,  heard  of  all  that  God  had  done  for  M  oses,  and 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  It7 

for  Israel  his  people,  and  that  the  Lord  had  brought 
Israel  out  of  Egyp'; 

And  Jethro,  Moses'  father-in-law,  came  with  his 
sons  and  his  wife  unto  Moses  into  the  wilderness, 
where  he  encamped  at  the  mount  of  God. 

And  he  said  unto  Moses,  I,  thy  father-in-law  Jethro, 
am  come  unto  thee,  and  thy  wife  and  her  two  sons 
with  her. 

And  Moses  went  out  to  meet  his  father-in-law,  and 
did  obeisance,  and  kissed  him,  and  they  asked  each 
other  of  their  welfare,  and  they  came  into  the  tent. 

And  Moses  told  his  father-in-law  of  all  that  the 
Lord  had  done  unto. Pharaoh  and  to  the  Egyptians  for 
Israel's  sake,  and  all  the  travail  that  had  come  upon" 
them  by  the  way,  and  how  the  Lord  delivered  them. 

And  Jethro  rejoiced  for  all  the  good  which  the  Lord 
had  done  for  Israel,  whom  He  had  delivered  out  of  the 
hand  of  the  Egyptians. 

And  Jethro  said,  Blessed  be  the  Lord  who  hath  de- 
livered you  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Egyptians  and 
out  of  the  hand  of  Pharaoh,  who  hath  delivered  the 
people  from  under  the  hand  of  the  Egyptians. 

Now  I  know  that  the  Lord  is  greater  than  all  gods; 
for  in  the  thing  wherein  they  dealt  presumptuously 
He  was  above  them. 

And  Jethro,  Moses'  father-in-law,  took  a  burnt  offer- 
ing and  sacrifices  for  God,  and  Aaron  came  with  all 
the  elders  of  Israel  to  eat  bread  with  Moses'  father- 
in-law  before  God. 

And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow  that  Moses  sat 


I  I  8  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

to  judge  the  people,  and  the  people  stood  by  Moses 
from  the  morning  until  the  evening. 

And  when  Moses'  father-in-law  saw  all  that  he  did 
to  the  people  he  said,  What  is  this  thing  that  thou 
doest  to  the  people?  Why  sittest  thou  thyself  alone, 
and  all  the  people  stand  by  thee  from  morning  unto 
even. 

And  Moses  said  unto  his  father-in-lav^,  Because  the 
people  come  unto  me  to  inquire  of  God. 

When  they  have  a  matter  they  come  unto  me,  and 
I  judge  between  one  and  another,  and  I  do  make  them 
know  the  statutes  of  God  and  His  laws. 

And  Moses'  father-in-law  said  unto  him,  The  thing 
•thou  doest  is  not  good.  Thou  wilt  surely  wear  away, 
both  thou  and  this  people  that  is  with  thee,  for  this 
thing  is  too  heavy  for  thee,  thou  art  not  able  to  per- 
form it  thyself  alone.  Hearken  now  unto  my  voice, 
and  I  will  give  thee  counsel,  and  God  shall  be  with 
thee.  Be  thou  for  the  people  instead  of  God,  that  thou 
mayest  bring  the  causes  unto  God. 

And  thou  shalt  teach  them  ordinances  and  laws,  and 
shalt  show  them  the  way  in  which  they  must  walk, 
and  the  work  that  they  must  do. 

Moreover,  thou  shalt  provide  out  of  all  the  people 
able  men,  such  as  fear  God,  men  of  truth,  hating  cov- 
etousness,  and  place  such  over  them  to  be  rulers  of 
thousands,  and  rulers  of  hundreds,  rulers  of  fifties,  and 
rulers  of  tens. 

And  let  them  judge  the  people  at  all  seasons,  and  it 
shall  be  that  every  great  matter  they  shall  bring  unto 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  Iig 

thee,  but  every  small  matter  they  shall  judge,  so  shall 
it  be  easier  for  thyself,  and  they  shall  bear  the  burden 
with  thee. 

If  thou  shalt  do  this  thing  and  God  command  thee 
so,  then  thou  shalt  be  able  to  endure,  and  all  this 
people  shalt  go  to  their  place  in  peace. 

THE    GIVING   OF   THE   TEN    COMMANDMENTS. 

In  the  third  month  when  the  children  of  Israel  were 
gone  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  the  same  day  came 
they  unto  the  wilderness  of  Sinai. 

For  they  departed  from  Rephidim  and  were  come 
unto  the  wilderness  of  Sinai  and  had  pitched  in  the 
wilderness,  and  there  Israel  encamped  before  the 
mount. 

And  Moses  went  up  unto  God,  and  the  Lord  called 
unto  him  out  of  the  mountain  saying,  Thus  shalt  thou 
say  unto  the  house  of  Jacob,  and  tell  the  children  of 
Israel • 

Ye  have  seen  what  I  did  unto  the  Egyptians,  and 
how  I  bare  you  on  eagles'  wings,  and  brought  you 
unto  myself. 

Now,  therefore,  if  ye  will  obey  my  voice  indeed  and 
keep  my  covenant,  then  shall  ye  be  a  peculiar  treas- 
ure unto  me  above  all  people,  for  all  the  earth  is  mine. 

And  ye  shall  be  unto  me  a  kingdom  of  priests  and 
an  holy  nation.  These  are  the  words  which  thou 
shalt  speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel. 

And  Moses  came  and  called  for  the  elders  of  the 
people,  and  laid  before  their  faces  all  these  words 
which  the  Lord  commanded  him. 


120  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

And  all  the  people  answered  and  said,  All  that  the 
Lord  hath  spoken  we  will  do.  And  Moses  returned 
the  words  of  the  people  unto  the  Lord. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Lo  !  I  come  unto 
thee  in  a  thick  cloud,  that  the  people  may  hear  when 
I  speak  with  thee,  and  believe  thee  forever. 

And  Moses  told  the  words  of  the  people  unto  God. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Go  unto  the  people, 
and  sanctify  them  to-day  and  to-morrow,  and  let  them 
wash  their  clothes. 

And  be  ready  against  the  third  day,  for  the  third 
day,  the  Lord  will  come  down  in  the  sight  of  the 
people,  upon  Mount  Sinai. 

And  thou  shalt  set  bounds  to  the  people  round 
about,  saying,  Take  heed  to  yourselves  that  ye  go  not 
into  the  mount  or  touch  the  border  of  it:  whosoever 
toucheth  the  border  of  the  mount  shall  be  surely  put 
to  death. 

There  shall  not  a  hand  touch  it,  but  he  shall  surely 
be  stoned  or  shot  through,  whether  it  be  beast  or  man 
he  shall  not  live,  when  the  trumpet  soundeth  long 
they  shall  come  up  to  the  mount. 

And  Moses  went  down  from  the  mount  unto  the 
people,  and  sanctified  the  people,  and  they  washed 
their  clothes. 

And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  third-  day  in  the  morn- 
ing, that  there  were  thunders  and  lightnings  and  a 
thick  cloud  upon  the  mount,  and  the  voice  of  the 
trumpet  exceeding  loud,  so  that  all  the  people  that  was 
in  the  camp  trembled. 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS  l2Oa 

And  Moses  brought  forth  the  people  out  of  the 
camp  to  meet  with  God,  and  they  stood  at  the  nether 
part  of  the  mount. 

And  Mount  Sinai  was  altogether  on  a  smoke,  be- 
cause the  Lord  descended  upon  it  in  fire,  and  the 
smoke  thereof  ascended  as  the  smoke  of  a  furnace,  and 
the  whole  mount  quaked  greatly. 

And  when  the  voice  of  the  trumpet  sounded  long, 
and  waxed  louder  and  louder,  Moses  spake,  and  God 
answered  him  by  a  voice. 

And  the  Lord  came  down  upon  Mount  Sinai  on  the 
top  of  the  mount,  and  the  Lord  called  Moses  up  to  the 
top  of  the  mount,  and  Moses  went  up. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Go  down,  charge  the 
people,  lest  they  break  through  unto  the  Lord  to  gaze, 
and  many  of  them  perish. 

And  let  the  priests  also  which  come  near  to  the 
Lord  sanctify  themselves,  lest  the  Lord  break  forth 
upon  them. 

And  Moses  said  unto  the  Lord,  The  people  cannot 
come  up  to  Mount  Sinai,  for  Thou  chargedst  us  saying, 
Set  bounds  about  the  mount,  and  sanctify  it. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  Away,  get  thee  down, 
and  thou  shalt  come  up,  thou  and  Aaron  with  thee, 
but  let  not  the  priests  and  the  people  break  through  to 
come  up  unto  the  Lord,lest  He  break  forth  upon  them. 

So  Moses  went  down  unto  the  people,  and  God  spake 
unto  them. 

And  God  spake  all  these  words  saying, 

I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  which  have  brought  thee  out 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

of  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  out  of  the  house  of  bondage. 

Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  me. 

Thou  shalt  not  make  unto  thee  any  graven  image, 
or  any  likeness  of  anything  that  is  in  the  heaven 
above,  or  that  is  in  the  earth  beneath,  or  that  is  in  the 
water  under  the  earth. 

Thou  shalt  not  bow  down  thyself  to  them  nor  serve 
them,  for  I  the  Lord  thy  God  am  a  jealous  God,  visit- 
ing the  sins  of  fathers  upon  children,  unto  the  third 
and  fourth  generation  of  them  that  hate  Me, 

And  showing  mercy  unto  thousands  of  them  that 
love  Me,  and  keep  My  commandments. 

Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God 
in  vain,  for  the  Lord  will  not  hold  him  guiltless  who 
taketh  His  name  in  vain. 

Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy. 

Six  days  shalt  thou  labor,  and  do  all  thy  work, 

But  the  seventh  day  is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy 
God;  in  it  thou  shalt  not  do  any  work,  thou  nor  thy 
son,  nor  thy  daughter,  thy  man  servant,  nor  thy  maid 
servant,  nor  thy  cattle  nor  thy  stranger  that  is  within 
thy  gates. 

For  in  six  days  the  Lord  made  heaven  and  earth,  the 
sea  and  all  that  in  them  is,  and  rested  on  the  seventh 
day:  wherefore  the  Lord  blessed  the  Sabbath  day  and 
hallowed  it. 

Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  that  thy  days  may 
be  long  upon  the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth 
thee. 

Thou  shalt  not  kill. 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL    LESSONS  l2Of 

Thou  shall  not  commit  adultery. 

Thou  shalt  not  steal. 

Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness  against  thy 
neighbor. 

Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's  house,  thou 
shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's  wife,  nor  his  man  serv- 
ant, nor  his  maid  servant,  nor  his  ox  nor  his  ass,  nor 
anything  that  is  thy  neighbor's. 

And  all  the  people  perceived  the  thunderings  and 
the  lightnings,  and  the  noise  of  the  trumpet,  and  the 
mountain  smoking:  and  when  the  people  saw  it,  they 
lemoved  and  stood  afar  off. 

And  they  said  unto  Moses,  Speak  thou  with  us, 
and  we  will  hear:  but  let  not  God  speak  with  us 
lest  we  die. 

And  Moses  said  unto  the  people,  Fear  not,  for  God 
is  come  to  prove  you  and  that  His  fear  may  be  before 
your  faces,  that  ye  sin  not. 

And  the  people  stood  afar  off,  and  Moses  drew  near 
unto  the  thick  darkness  where  God  was. 

NOTES. 

The  inability  of  the  Hebrews  to  endure  any  privation  is 
frequently  evident.  They  complained  at  Shur,  Marah,  Sin 
and  Rephidim  within  two  months  after  their  departure  from 
Egypt. 

The  battle  of  Rephidim  was  notable,  not  only  because  of 
the  cowardice  of  Amalek,  who  attacked  the  old  and  infirm, 
the  weary  and  weak  of  the  Hebrews  who  happened  to  stray 
from  the  march,  and  not  only  because  it  is  the  first  appear- 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 


ance  of  Joshua  as  a  leader,  but  because  the  method  of  fight- 
ing was  most  significant. 

As  long  as  Moses  held  his  hand  heavenward,  invoking  God's 
help,  the  Hebrews  prevailed.  As  long  as  he  did  not  —  and  it 
seemed  as  if  he  was  relying  on  the  human  strength  of  the 
Hebrews  —  the  Hebrews  were  beaten. 

So,  in  all  ages,  our  victories  have  only  been  obtained  by 
Divine  aid. 

The  visit  of  Jethro  shows  his  loyalty  to  the  God  of  ,  the  He- 
brews. His  advice  to  Moses  teaches  how  wrong  it  is  to  over- 
work oneself.  We  must,  however,  notice  that  those  chosen 
to  help  him  were  to  be  "  able  men,"  such  as  "  reverence  "  God, 
"  men  of  sincerity,"  men  who  "  hate  gain  "  or  notoriety. 

Our  leaders  must  always  be  such  men  to  enjoy  our  confi- 
dence and  re=pect. 

And  we  shall  see,  later,  that  when  a  council  was  formed, 
the  members  had  to  be  of  the  "  elders  of  Israel."  For  ripe 
age  is  also  an  essential  for  proper  judgment. 

We  now  come  to  the  wonderful  revelation  of  the  ten  com- 
mandments. 

The  Hebrews  heard  but  a  sound  (Deut.  iv.  12.),  but  to 
Moses  the  sound  took  the  form  of  words. 

The  Ten  Commandments  are  in  accord  with  the  three  great 
teachings  of  our  religion,  Love,  Justice  and  Purity.  The  first 
of  the  commandments,  or,  more  properly,  ''  articles  "  (or  pro- 
clamations) declares  who  it  is  to  whom  we  owe  our  rescue  from 
Egypt.  The  bringing  up  out  of  Egypt  was  because  God  is 
Love.  God  loves  us.  (Deut.  iy.  37,  vii.  8,  xxiii.  6.) 

The  second  teaches  God  is  Just.  For  idolatry,  which  it 
forbids,  meant  immorality,  which,  if  continued,  induces 
hereditary  disease.  Those  who  commit  sin  must  suffer. 
Those  who  love  Him  and  keep  His  commandments  deserve 
His  mercy. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL  LESSONS  121 

The  third  forbids  any  unholy  use  of  God's  name,  or  to  use 
religion  to  cloak  unholy  or  impure  purposes.  God  is  Holy 
and  Pure. 

The  fourth  gives  us  a  day,  through  God's  loving  provision 
for  His  children,  for  physical  rest  and  spiritual  development, 
as  necessary  for  true  happiness.  The  greater  our  spiritual 
development,  the  greater  are  the  possibilities  of  happiness 
which  come  in  our  reach. 

The  fifth  breathes  loving  duty,  and  teaches  Loye. 

The  sixth,  eighth,  ninth,  tenth,  teach  Justice. 

The  seventh  and  tenth  teach  Purity.  Even  to  think  about 
sin  is  wrong,  for,  as  our  sages  teach,  "the  thoughts  about  sin 
are  more  dangerous  than  the  sin  itself."  (Talmud,  Yoma.) 


LESSON   XV. 

TEXT:  God  giveth  to  men  that  which  is  good  in  His  sight,— 
wisdom,  knowledge  and  happiness.  Eccles,  ii,  26, 

LESSON  FOR  GRADE  III. —  Child's  First  Bible, 
Chapter  XIII. 

And  Moses  came  and  told  the  people  all  the  words 
of  the  Lord,  and  all  the  judgments,  and  all  the  people 
answered  with  one  voice,  and  said,  All  the  words 
which  the  Lord  hath  said,  will  we  do. 

And  Moses  wrote  all  the  words  of  the  Lord,  and 
rose  up  early  in  the  morning,  and  builded  an  altar 
under  the  hill,  and  twelve  pillars  according  to  the 
tribes  of  Israel. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Come  up  to  Me  into 
the  mount,  and  be  there,  and  I  will  give  thee  tables  of 


122  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

stone  and  a   law,  and  commandments  which    I  have 
written  that  thou  inayest  teach  them. 

And  Moses  rose  up,  and  his  minister  Joshua,  and 
Moses  went  up  into  the  mount  of  God. 

And  he  said  unto  the  elders,  Tarry  ye  here  for  us 
until  we  come  again  unto  you,  and  behold  Aaron  and 
Hur  are  with  you,  if  any  man  have  any  matter  to  do, 
let  them  come  unto  them. 

And  the  glory  of  the  Lord  abode  upon  Mount  Sinai, 
and  the  cloud  covered  it  six  days,  and  the  seventh 
day,  He  called  unto  Moses  out  of  the  midst  of  the 
cloud. 

And  the  sight  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord  was  like 
devouring  fire  on  the  top  of  the  mount,  in  the  eyes  ot 
the  children  of  Israel. 

And  Moses  went  into  the  midst  of  the  cloud,  and 
gat  him  up  into  the  mount,  and  Moses  was  in  the 
mount  forty  days,  and  forty  nights. 

THE   TABERNACLH. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Speak  unto  the 
children  of  Israel  that  they  bring  Me  an  offering; 
from  everyone  who  giveth  willingly,  ye  shall  take  My 
offering. 

And  let  them  make  Me  a  sanctuary,  that  I  may 
dwell  among  them. 

Then  wrought  Bezaleel  and  Aholiab  and  every  wise- 
hearted  man,  in  whom  the  Lord  put  wisdom  and  un- 
derstanding to  know  how  to  work  all  manner  of  work 
for  the  service  of  the  sanctuary,  according  to  all  that 
the  Lord  had  commanded. 

And  Moses  called    Btzaleel  and  Aholiab  and  every 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  123 

wise-hearted  man,  in  whose  heart  the  Lord  had  put 
wisdom,  even  everyone  whose  heart  stirred  him  up  to 
come  unto  the  work  to  do  it. 

And  they  received  of  Moses  all  the  offerings  which 
the  children  of  Israel  had  brought  for  the  work  of  the 
service  of  the  sanctuary  to  make  it  withal.  And  they 
brought  yet  unto  him  free  offerings  every  morning. 

And  all  the  wise  men  that  wrought  all  the  work  of 
the  sanctuary,  came  every  man  from  the  work  which 
they  made. 

And  they  spake  unto  Moses  saying,  The  people 
bring  much  more  than  enough  for  the  service  of  the 
work  which  the  Lord  commanded  to  make. 

And  Moses  gave  commandment,  and  they  caused  it 
to  be  proclaimed  throughout  the  camp  saying,  Let 
neither  -man  nor  woman  make  any  more  work  for  the 
offerings  of  the  sanctuary.  So  the  people  were 
restrained  from  bringing. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  first  month  in  the 
second  year,  on  the  first  day  of  the  month,  that  the 
tabernacle  was  reared  up. 

And  he  reared  up  the  court  round  about  the 
tabernacle  and  all  the  furnishings  and  set  up  the 
hanging  of  the  court  gate:  so  Moses  finished  the  work. 

Then  a  cloud  covered  the  tent  of  the  congrega- 
tion, and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  taber- 
nacle. 

And  Moses  was  not  able  to  enter  into  the  tent  of 
the  congregation.  And  the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled 
the  tabernacle. 


124  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

And  when  the  cloud  was  taken  up  from  over  the 
tabernacle,  the  children  of  Israel  went  on  in  all  their 
journeys. 

And  if  the  cloud  weie  not  taken  up,  then  they 
journeyed  not  till  the  day  that  it  was  taken  up. 

For  the  cloud  of  the  Lord  was  upon  the  tabernacle 
by  day,  and  fire  was  on  it  by  night,  in  the  sight  of 
all  the  house  of  Israel,  throughout  all  their  journeys. 

THE  GOLDEN  CALF. 

And  when  the  people  saw  that  Moses  delayed  to 
come  down  out  of  the  mount,  they  gathered  unto 
Aaron  and  said,  Up,  make  us  gods  which  shall  go 
before  us,  for  we  wot  not  what  hath  become  of  this 
man  Moses  who  brought  us  up  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt. 

And  Aaron  said  unto  them,  Break  off  the  golden 
earrings  of  your  sons  and  daughters,  and  bring  them 
unto  me.  And  they  did  so. 

And  made  it  a  molten  calf,  and  they  said,  These 
be  thy  gods,  O  Israel,  which  brought  thee  up  out  of 
the  land  of  Egypt. 

And  when  Aaron  saw  it,  he  built  an  altar  before  it, 
and  proclaimed,  To-morrow  is  a  feast  to  the  Lord. 

And  they  rose  up  early  and  offered,  and  sat  down  to 
eat  and  to  drink,  and  rose  up  to  play. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Go,  get  thee  down, 
for  thy  people  which  thou  broughtest  out  of  the  land 
of  Egypt,  have  corrupted  themselves: 

They  have  turned  aside  quickly  out  of  the  way 
which  I  commanded  them,  they  have  made  them  a 
molten  calf,  and  have  worshiped  it,  and  have  sacri- 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS  125 

ficed  thereunto  and  said,  These  be  thy  gods,  O  Israel, 
which  have  brought  thee  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt. 

I  have  seen  this  people,  and  behold  it  is  a  stiff- 
necked  people. 

Now,  therefore,  let  me  alone  that  my  wrath  may 
wax  hot  against  them,  and  that  I  may  consume  them, 
and  I  will  make  of  thee  a  great  nation. 

And  Moses  besought  the  Lord  his  God,  and  said,  O, 
Lord,  why  doth  Thy  wrath  wax  hot  against  Thy  people 
which  Thou  hast  brought  forth  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt,  with  great  power  and  with  a  mighty  hand? 

Wherefore  should  the  Egyptians  speak  and  sav,  For 
mischief  did  He  bring  them  out  to  slay  them  in  the 
mountains,  and  to  consume  them  from  the  face  of  the 
earth.  Turn  from  Thy  fierce  wrath  and  be  appeased 
concerning  the  wickedness  of  Thy  people. 

And  Moses  went  down  the  mount,  and  the  two  tables 
of  testimony  were  in  his  hand,  tables  written  on  both 
sides. 

And  the  tables  were  the  work  of  God,  and  the  writ- 
ing was  writing  of  God,  graven  upon  the  tables. 

And  when  Joshua  heard  the  noise  of  the  people  as 
they  shouted,  he  said  unto  Moses,  There  is  a  noise  of 
war  in  the  camp. 

Arid  he  said,  It  is  not  the  voice  of  those  who  shout 
for  mastery,  neither  is  it  the  voice  of  them  that  cry 
for  being  overcome,  but  the  noise  of  them  that  sing 
do  I  hear. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  soon  as  he  came  nigh  unto 
the  camp,  that  he  saw  the  calf,  and  the  dancing,  and 


t 2O  SUNDAY    SCHOOL,    LESSONS 

Moses'  anger  waxed  hot,  and  he  cast  the  tables  out  of 
his  hands  and  brake  them  at  the  foot  of  the  mount. 

And  he  took  the  calf  which  they  had  made,  and 
burnt  it  in  the  fire,  and  ground  it  to  powder,  and 
strewed  it  upon  the  waters,  and  made  the  children  of 
Israel  drink  it. 

And  Moses  said  unto  Aaron,  What  did  this  people 
unto  thee,  that  thou  hast  brought  so  great  a  sin  upon 
them? 

And  Aaron. said.  Let  not  the  anger  of  my  lord  wax 
hot,  thou  knowest  the  people  they  are  in  evil  com- 
pany. And  he  told  him  all. 

Then  Moses  stood  in  the  gate  of  the  camp,  and  said, 
Who  is  on  the  Lord's  side,  let  him  come  unto  me. 
And  all  the  sons  of  Levi  gathered  themselves  to- 
gether unto  him. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God 
of  Israel,  Put  every  man  his  sword  by  his  side,  and  go 
in  and  out,  from  gate  to  gate  throughout  the  camp, 
and  slay  every  man  his  brother,  and  every  man  his 
companion,  and  every  man  his  neighbor. 

And  the  children  of  Levi  did  according  to  the  word 
of  Moses,  and  there  fell  of  the  people  that  day  about 
three  thousand  men. 

And  Moses  said,  Consecrate  yourselves  to-day  unto 
the  Lord,  even  every  man  through  his  son  and  his 
brother,  that  He  may  bestow  upon  you  a  blessing  this 
day. 

And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow,  that  Moses 
said  unto  the  people,  Ye  have  sinned  a  great  sin,  and 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  127 

now  I  will  go  up  unto  the  Lord;  peradventure  I  shall 
make  an  atonement  for  your  sin. 

And  Moses  returned  unto  the  Lord  and  said:  O  this 
people  have  sinned  a  great  sin,  and  have  made  them 
gods  of  gold. 

Yet  now,  if  Thou  wilt,  forgive  their  sin,  and  if  not, 
blol  me  I  pray  Thee  out  of  Thy  book  which  Thou 
hast  written. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Whosoever  hath 
sinned  against  Me,  him  will  I  blot  out  of  My  book. 

Therefore  now  go,  lead  the  people  unto  the  place  of 
which  I  have  spoken  unto  thee.  Behold  mine  angel 
sUall  go  before  thee,  nevertheless  in  the  day  when  I 
visit,  I  will  visit  their  sin  upon  them. 

And  the  Lord  punished  the  people,  because  they 
made  the  calf  which  Aaron  made. 

NOTES. 

We  are  brought  face  to  face  with  the  methods  of  Divine 
communication  with  man.  They  evidently  differ  according  to 
man's  intellectuality. 

It  appears  that  the  messages  of  God  come  much  as  our 
thoughts  come — according  to  our  education,  purity  or  intelli- 
gence. Some  can  grasp  high  thoughts,  others  cannot.  Some 
can  distinguish  all  colors,  some  can  detect  the  finest  variation 
of  shade;  others  are  partly  color  blind,  others  are  totally  color- 
blind. Most  people  can  hear  certain  music  with  pleasure; 
some  cannot  perceive  the  beauties  of  classical  music.  But 
some  people  are  tone  deaf,  they  cannot  sing  in  tune,  or  they 
can  detect  no  variation  in  notes,  much  less  grasp  the  beauties 
of  higher  music,  such  as  counterpoint,  fugue,  or  general  har- 


128  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

mony.  Similarly,  some  cannot  detect  or  enjoy  the  various 
shades  of  spiritual  light — the  beauties  of  religion.  Some  can- 
not hear  God  speak  in  nature,  much  less  the  voice  of  God 
in  conscience,  and  not  at  all  can  they  hear  God  speak  to  them 
or  to  humanity. 

God's  voice  may  seem  to  them  as  it  was  to  the  Hebrews, 
only  "a  sound,"  and  at  the  sound  they  may  be  ''frightened  and 
stand  afar  off."  His  glory  rnay  look  like  a ''flaming  fire." 
To  a  Moses,  God's  voice  meant  words  in  his  mind,  and  the 
glory  had  no  terrors,  but  only  waked  his  reverential  awe. 

If  we  do  not  hear  God's  yoice  in  our  own  conscience,  it  is 
our  own  fault.  Much  less  are  we  likely  to  hear  God's  voice 
speak  to  us  otherwise. 

The  erection  of  the  tabernacle  was  to  be  a  visible  reminder 
of  God  inhuman  life.  "Whosoever  sought  the  Lord,"  as  the 
Bible  says,  "went  to  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation." 

The  surroundings  and  associations  of  such  a  holy  place 
would  bring  the  mind  into  proper  condition  for  prayerful  com- 
munion with  God,  to  receive  His  messages  of  guidance,  cour- 
age or  consolation. 

LESSON  XVI. 

THE  REVELATION   OF  GOD. 

TEXT:  But  Thou,  O  Lord,  art  an  Almighty  God,  compassion- 
ate and  gracious,  forbearing  and  abundant  in  loving  kindness,  and 
true.  (Psalm  Ixxxvi.  15.) 

Ye  nations  all,  your  voices  raise 

In  unison  the  Lord  to  praise. 

Ye  peoples  all,  the  chorus  swell 

And  sing  to  Him  in  great  Hallel 

Exceeding  mercy  doth  He  bear, 
To  us,  His  children,  'neath  His  care. 
His  truth's  for  aye,  O  praise  the  Lord, 
Who  thus  is  worshiped,  thus  adored. 

Psalm  Icxvii. 


„.  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  129 

And  Moses  said  unto  the  Lord,  See,  Thou  sayest 
unto  me,  Bring  up  this  people,  and  Thou  hast  not 
let  me  know  whom  Thou  wilt  send  with  me.  Yet 
Thou  hast  said,  I  know  thee  by  name,  and  thou  hast 
found  grace  in  My  sight. 

Now,  therefore,  I  pray  Thee,  if  I  have  found  grace 
in  Thy  sight,  show  me,  I  pray  Thee,  Thy  way,  that 
I  may  know  Thee,  that  I  may  find  grace  in  Thy  sight, 
and  consider  that  this  nation  is  Thy  people. 

And  He  said,  My  presence  shall  go  with  thee,  and  I 
will  give  thee  tranquility. 

And  he  said  unto  Him,  If  Thy  presence  go  not, 
carry  us  not  up  hence. 

And  wherein  shall  it  be  known  here  that  I  and  Thy 
people  have  found  grace  in  Thy  sight? 

Is  it  not  in  Thy  going  with  us?  So  are  we  separ- 
ated, I  and  Thy  people,  from  all  the  people  that  are 
on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  I  will  do  this  thing 
also  that  thou  hast  spoken,  for  thou  hast  found  grace 
in  My  sight,  and  I  know  thy  nature. 

And  he  said,  I  beseech  Thee,  shew  me  Thy  glory. 

And  He  said,  I  will  make  all  My  good  ness  pass  be- 
fore thee,  and  I  will  proclaim  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
before  thee;  and  I  will  be  gracious  to  whom  I  will  be 
gracious,  and  will  shew  mercy  on  whom  I  will  shew 
mercy. 

And  He  said,  Thou  canst  not  understand  My  nature 
for  there  can  no  man  see  Me  and  live. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Hew  thee  two  tables 


13°  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    I.KSS<>\- 

of  stone,  like  unto  the  first,  and  I  will  write  upon 
these  tables  the  words  that  were  on  the  first  tables 
which  thou  brakesf. 

And  be  ready  in  the  morning  and  come  up  in  the 
morning  to  Mount  Sinai,  and  present  thyself  there  to 
Me,  on  the  top  of  the  mount. 

And  no  one  shall  come  up  with  thee,  neither  let 
any  one  be  seen  throughout  the  mount,  neither  let 
the  flocks  nor  herds  feed  before  that  mount. 

And  he  hewed  two  tables  of  stone  like  unto  the  first, 
and  Moses  rose  up  early  in  the  morning,  and  went  up 
unto  Mount  Sinai  as  the  Lord  had  commanded  him, 
and  took  in  his  hand  the  two  tables  of  stone. 

And  the  Lord  descended  in  the  cloud,  and  stood 
with  him  there,  and  proclaimed  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord. 

And  the  Lord  passed  by  before  him,  and  proclaimed, 
The  Everlasting,  the  Everlasting,  Almighty,  merciful 
and  gracious,  forbearing  and  abundant  in  loving- 
kindness  and  true. 

Maintaining  loving-kindness  for  thousands,  forgiv- 
ing iniquity  and  transgression,  and  sin,  and  who  will 
by  no  means  clear  the  guilty;  visiting  the  iniquity 
of  fathers  upon  children,  and  upon  children's  children 
unto  the  third  and  to  the  fourth  generation. 

And  Moses  made  haste,  and  prostrated  his  head 
toward  the  earth  and  worshiped. 

And  he  said,  If  now  I  have  found  grace  in  Thy 
sight,  O  Lord,  let  my  Lord,  1  pray  Thee,  go  among 
us  /for  it  is  a  stiff-necked  people)  and  do  Thou  pardon 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  131 

our  iniquity  and  our  sin,  and  take  us  for  Thine 
inheritance. 

And  He  said,  Behold,  I  make  a  covenant:  Before  all 
thy  people  I  will  do  marvels,  such  as  have  not  been 
done  in  all  the  earth,  nor  in  all  the  nations;  and  all 
the  people  among  which  thou  art  shall  see  the  work 
of  the  Lord,  for  what  I  am  doing  with  thee  is 
tremendous. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Write  thou  these 
words,  for  after  the  tenor  of  these  words,  I  have  made 
a  covenant  with  thee  and  with  Israel. 

And  he  was  there  with  the  Lord  forty  days  and  forty 
nights;  he  did  neither  eat  bread,  nor  drink  water; 
And  he  wrote  upon  the  tables  the  words  of  the  cove- 
nant, the  Ten  Commandments. 

And  it  came  to  pass  when  Moses  came  down  from 
Mount  Sinai  (with  the  two  tables  of  testimony  in 
Moses'  hand,  when  he  came  down  from  the  mount), 
that  Moses  wist  not  that  the  skin  of  his  face  shone 
while  He  talked  with  him. 

And  when  Aaron  and  all  the  children  of  Israel  saw 
Moses,  behold  the  skin  of  his  face  shone,  and  they 
were  afraid  to  come  nigh  him. 

And  Moses  called  unto  them,  and  Aaron  and  all  the 
rulers  of  the  congregation  returned  unto  him,  and 
Moses  talked  with  them. 

And  afterward  all  the  children  of  Israel  came  nigh, 
and  he  gave  them  in  commandment  all  that  the  .Lord 
had  spoken  with  him  in  Mount  Sinai. 

And  till  Moses  had  done  speaking  with  them,  he 
put  a  veil  on  his  face. 


132  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

And  when  Moses  went  in  before  the  Lord  to  speak, 
with  Him,  he  took  the  veil  off  until  he  came  out. 

NOTES. 

Our  teacher,  Moses,  prince  among  wise  men,  asked  to  know 
God's  real  nature  and  His  ways  or  methods.  But  he  was  told 
that  no  human  being  could  understand,  grasp,  or  perceive  His 
real  nature,  but  that  man  could  only  perceive  God  ihrongh 
the  manifestations  or  results  of  His  passing  by  or  of  His  pres- 
ence. Every  man  is  known  by  his  works.  We  are  known  to 
our  friends  by  the  results  of  our  good  or  bad  natures,  and 
according  as  they  appreciate  our  characters.  Our  nature,  in 
their  opinions,  is,  as  far  as  they  can  know,  decided  by  that 
which  comes  after  our  contact  with  them — after  "our  passing 
by"  them,  or  "our  presence"  among  them. 

Similarly,  God's  nature,  or  as  far  as  we  can  ever  know, 
must  be  determined  by  the  results  of  His  presence  or  of  His 
passing  by  in  our  lives — or,  to  use  the  Bible  language,  by  the 
"that  which  comes  after  Him." 

Thus  a  person  in  sorrow  appeals  to  God.  God  becomes 
known  to  him  by  the  result,  by 'what  comes  after"  his  prayer. 
If  it  is  sorrow  for  sin  committed,  distress  through  worldly 
trials  or  pain  or  bereavement,  God's  answering  with  forgive- 
ness, help  or  consolation,  as  the  case  may  be,  is  the  result,  or 
the  "that  which  comes  after."  And  God  is  accordingly  re- 
vealed as  merciful  or  forgiving,  helping,  consoling  or  loving. 

In  the  episode  before  us,  the  sin  of  the  golden-calf, 
revealed  on  the  part  of  the  Hebrews  a  tendencv  to  immor- 
ality and  to  disloyalty  to  God,  which  must  have  made  Moses 
wonder  how  He  could  find  Israel  a  fit  instrument  for  any 
mission,  especially  for  the  old  Abrahamic  or  national  mis- 
sion, to  be  a  source  of  blessing  to  all  the  families  of  earth. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL   LESSONS  133 

But  when  he  asked  to  know  God's  methods  and  to  know 
God's  nature,  he  was  told  that  that  was  impossible.  But  that 
all  he  could  hope  to  know  of  God  was  announced  in  the  pro- 
clamation made,  declaring  that  God  was  eternal,  almighty, 
merciful,  forbearing  and  loving.  These  attributes  of  God  are 
what  come  after  God's  contact  with  man — they  will  wipe  out 
the  record  of  all  humanity's  sins,  just  as  they  wiped  out  the 
record  of  Israel's  sin  of  the  golden  calf,  its  idolatry  and  the 
immorality  connected  with  it. 

God  was  working  and  would  work  through  Israel  for  man- 
kind's happiness.  Israel  was  destined  to  be  a  blessing  to  all 
the  families  of  earth.  God  would  accomplish  marvels  in  the 
very  presence  of  Israel,  such  as  had  never  been  done  in  all  the 
earth,  nor  among  all  the  nations.  And  all  Israel  shall  recognize 
that  it  is  the  work  of  God,  and  that  that  which  He  did,  does 
and  will  accomplish,  is  awe-inspiring. 

The  expression,  "the  tables  of  stone  were  the  work  of 
God,"  means  they  were  stones  in  their  natural  condition, 
unhewn.  Anything  in  natural  condition  is  called  the  work 
of  God.  The  second  tablets  were  hewn  by  Moses.  The  ex- 
pression, "And  the  writing  was  the  writing  of  God,"  or 
"written  with  the  finger  of  God,"  is  a  figurative  phrase,  for 
finger  of  God  and  word  of  God  are  in  Holy  Writ  used  syn- 
onymously. In  Verse  i,  Ch.  xxxiv. ,  God  says,  "I  will  write.*'  In 
Verse  27  He  commands  Moses  to  write;  and  in  Verse  28  it  says, 
"Moses  wrote  the  words  of  the  covenant,  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments.'' 


1 34  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

LESSON   XVII. 

LEVITICUS. 
TEXT:   "  Love  ye  the  truth  and  peace." — Zech.  viii,  19. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying, 

If  a  person  sin  and  commit  a  trespass  against  the 
Lord,  and  lie  unto  his  neighbor  in  that  which  was  de- 
livered him  to  keep,  or  in  fellowship,  or  in  a  thing 
taken  away  by  violence,  or  hath  deceived  his  neighbor; 

Or  have  found  that  which  was  lost,  and  lieth  con- 
cerning it  and  sweareth  falsely,  in  any  of  all  these 
that  a  man  doeth,  sinning  therein, 

Then  it  shall  be,  because  he  hath  sinned  and  is 
guilty,  that  he  shall  restore  that  which  he  took 
violently  away,  or  the  thing  which  he  hath  deceitfully 
gotten,  or  that  which  was  delivered  him  to  keep,  or 
the  lost  thing  which  he  found, 

Or  all  that  about  which  he  hath  sworn  falsely,  he 
shall  even  restore  it  in  the  principal,  and  shall  add  the 
fifth  part  more  thereunto,  and  give  it  unto  him  to 
whom  it  appertaineth  in  the  day  of  his  trespass  offer- 
ing. 

And  he  shall  bring  his  trespass  offering  unto  the 
Lord  out  of  the  flock,  a  ram  without  blemish,  in  thy 
estimation,  for  a  trespass  offering  unto  the  priest. 

And  the  priest  shall  make  an  atonement  for  him 
before  the  Lord,  and  it  shall  be  forgiven  him  for  any- 
thing of  all  that  he  hath  done  in  trespassing  therein. 

THE  DEATH  OF  NADAB  AND  ABIHU. 

And  Nadab  and  Abihu,  the  sons  of  Aaron,  took 
each  ofthem  his  censer,  and  put  fire  therein  and  put 


SUNDAY      SCHOOL    LESSONS  135 

incense  thereon,  and  offered  strange  fire  before  the 
Lord,  which  He  commanded  them  not. 

And  there  went  out  fire  from  the  Lord  and  devoured 
them,  and  they  died  before  the  Lord. 

Then  Moses  said  unto  Aaron,  This  is  it  that  the  Lord 
spake,  saying,  I  will  be  sanctified  in  them  that  come 
nigh  Me,  and  before  all  the  people  I  will  be  glorified. 
And  Aaron  held  his  peace. 

And  Moses  called  Mishael  and  Elzaphan,  the  sons 
of  Uzziel,  the  unele  of  Aaron,  and  said  unto  them, 
Come  near,  carry  your  brethren  from  before  the  sanc- 
tuary, out  of  the  camp. 

So  they  went  near,  and  carried  them  in  their  coats 
out  of  the  camp,  as  Moses  had  said. 

And  Moses  said  unto  Aaron,  and  unto  Eleazar  and 
unto  Ithamar,  his  sons,  Uncover  not  your  heads, 
neither  rend  your  clothes,  lest  ye  die,  and  lest  wrath 
come  upon  all  the  people,  but  let  your  brethren,  the 
whole  house  of  Israel,  bewail  the  burning  which  the 
Lord  hath  kindled. 

And  ye  shall  not  go  out  from  the  door  of  the  taber- 
nacle of  the  congregation  lest  ye  die,  for  the  anoint- 
ing oil  of  the  Lord  is  upon  you.  And  they  did 
according  to  the  word  of  Moses. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Aaron  saying, 

Do  not  drink  wine,  nor  strong  drink,  thou  nor  thy 
sons  with  thee,  when  ye  go  into  the  tabernacle  of  the 
congregation,  lest  ye  die;  it  shall  be  a  statute  forever 
throughout  your  generations. 

And  that  ye  may  mark  difference  between  holy  and 
unholy,  and  unclean  and  clean. 


136  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

And  that  ye  may  teach  the  children  of  Israel  all  the 
statutes  which  the  Lord  hath  spoken  unto  them  by  the 
hand  of  Moses. 

And  Moses  spake  unto  Aaron,  and  untoEleazar  and 
unto  Ithamar,  his  sons  that  were  left,  Take  the  meal 
offering  that  remaineth  of  the  offerings  of  the  Lord 
made  by  fire,  and  eat  it,  without  leaven,  beside  the 
altar,  for  it  is  most  holy. 

And  ye  shall  eat  it  in  the  holy  place,  because  it  is 
thy  due,  and  thy  sons'  due  of  the  sacrifices  of  the 
Lord  made  by  fire,  for  so  I  am  commanded. 

And  the  wave  breast,  and  heave  shoulder,  shall  ye 
eat  in  a  clean  place,  thou  and  thy  sons  and  thy 
daughters  with  thee,  for  they  be  thy  due,  and  thy 
sons'  due  which  are  given  out  of  the  sacrifices  of  peace 
offerings  of  the  children  of  Israel. 

The  heave  shoulder  and  the  wave  breast  shall  they 
bring,  with  the  offerings  made  by  fire  of  the  fat,  to 
wave  it  for  a  wave  offering  before  the  Lord,  and  it 
shall  be  thine,  and  thy  sons  with  thee  by  a  statute 
forever,  as  the  Lord  hath  commanded. 

And  Moses  diligently  sought  the  goat  of  the  sin 
offering,  and  behold  it  was  burnt,  and  he  was  angry 
with  Eleazar  and  Ithamar,  the  sons  of  Aaron  which 
were  left  alive,  saying, 

Wherefore  have  ye  not  eaten  the  sin  offering  in  the 
holy  place,  seeing  it  is  most  holy,  and  God  hath  given 
it  you  to  bear  the  iniquity  of  the  congregation,  to 
make  atonement  for  them  before  the  Lord  ? 

Behold,  the  blood  of  it  was  not  brought  in  within 
the  holy  place  as  I  commanded. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  137 

And  Aaron  said  unto  Moses,  This  day  have  they 
offered  their  sin  offering,  and  their  burnt  offering  be- 
fore the  Lord,  and  such  things  as  these  have  befallen 
me,  and  if  I  had  eaten  the  sin  offering  to-day,  should 
it  have  been  accepted  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord? 

And  when  Moses  heard  that,  he  was  content. 

A  SOLEMN   CHARGK   TO   THE    PEOPLE. 

Ye  shall  make  you  no  idols,  neither  rear  you  up  a 
graven  image  or  a  standing  image,  neither  shall  ye 
set  up  any  image  of  stone  in  your  land  to  bow  down 
unto  it,  for  I  am  the  Lord  your  God. 

Ye  shall  keep  my  sabbaths  and  reverence  My  sanc- 
tuary, I  am  the  Lord. 

If  ye  walk  in  My  statutes  and  keep  My  command- 
ments and  do  them, 

Then  I  will  give  you  rain  in  due  season,  and  the 
land  shall  yield  her  increase,  and  the  trees  of  the  field 
shall  yield  their  fruit. 

And  your  threshing  shall  reach  unto  the  vintage, 
and  the  vintage  shall  reach  unto  the  sowing  time,  aud 
ye  shall  eat  your  bread  to  the  full,  and  dwell  in  your 
land  safely. 

And  I  will  give  peace  in  the  land,  and  ye  shall  lie 
down,  and  none  shall  make  you  afraid,  and  I  will  rid 
evil  beasts  out  of  the  land,  neither  shall  the  sword  go 
through  your  land. 

And  ye  shall  chase  your  enemies,  and  they  shall  fall 
before  you  by  the  sword. 

Aud  five  of  you  shall    chase  an    hundred,  and  an 


138  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    I.KSSONS 

hundred  of  you  shall  put  ten  thousand  to  flight,  aud 
your  enemies  shall  fall  before  \ou  by  the  sword. 

For  I  will  turn  unto  you,  aud  mike  you  fruitful, 
and  multiply  you,  and  establish  My  covenant  with 
you. 

And  ye  shall  eat  old  store,  and  bring  forth  the  old 
because  of  the  new. 

And  I  will  set  My  tabernacle  among  you,  and  Ms- 
soul  shall  not  abhor  you. 

And  I  will  walk  among  you,  and  will  be  your  God, 
and  ye  shall  be  My  people. 

I  am  the  Lord  your  God,  which  brought  you  forth 
out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  that  ye  should  not  be  their 
bondmen,  and  I  have  broken  the  bonds  of  your  yoke, 
aud  made  you  march  in  security. 

But  if  ye  will  not  hearken  unto  Me,  and  will  not  do 
all  these  commandments; 

And  if  ye  shall  despise  My  statutes,  or  if  your  soul 
abhor  My  judgments,  so  that  ye  will  not  do  all  My 
commandments,  but  that  ye  break  My  covenant, 

I  must  do  this  unto  you,  I  must  even  appoint  over 
you  terror,  and  cause  sorrow  of  heart,  aud  ye  will  sow 
your  seed  in  vain,  for  your  enemies  shall  eat  it. 

And  I  must  break  the  pride  of  your  power,  and 
make  your  heaven  as  iron,  and  your  earth  as  brass. 

And  your  strength  will  be  spent  in  vain,  for  your 
land  will  not  yield  her  increase,  neither  shall  the  trees 
of  the  land  yield  their  fruits. 

And  they  that  are  left  of  you  will  pine  awav  in 
their  iniquity,  in  your  enemies'  lands. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  139 

And  also  through  the  iniquities  of  their  fathers,  will 
they  pine  away  with  them- 

And  if  they  sh?ll  confess  their  iniquity,  and  the  in- 
iquity of  their  fathers,  with  their  trespass,  which  they 
have  trespassed  against  Me,  and  that  also  they  haye 
walked  contrary  unto  Me. 

(Yea,  I  will  walk  contrary  unto  them,  and  will 
bring  them  into  the  land  of  their  enemies,) — if  then 
their  unpurified  heart  be  humbled,  and  they  then 
accept  of  the  punishment  of  their  iniquity. 

Then  will  I  remember  My  covenant  with  Jacob,  and 
also  My  covenant  with  Isaac,  and  also  My  covenant 
with  Abraham  will  I  remember,  and  I  will  remember 
the  land. 

The  land  also  shall  be  left  of  them,  and  shall  enjoy 
her  sabbaths,  while  she  lieth  desolate  without  them) 
and  they  are  accepting  the  punishment  of  their 
iniquity— because,  even  because,  they  despised  My 
judgments  and  because  their  soul  abhored  My  statutes. 

And  yet  for  all  that,  when  they  be  in  the  land  of 
their  enemies,  I  will  not  despise  them,  neither  will  I 
abhor  them  to  destroy  them  utterly,  and  to  break 
My  covenant  with  them,  for  I  am  the  L,ord  their  God, 

But  I  will,  for  their  sakes,  remember  the  covenant 
of  their  ancestors,  whom  I  brought  forth  out  of  the 
land  of  Egypt,  in  the  sight  of  the  heathen,  that  I 
might  be  their  God.  I  am  the  Lord. 

NOTES. 

We  shall  speak  of  the  sacrificial  method  of  worship  and  its 
true  meaning  in  our  next  lesson.  Enough  to  remark  for  the 


140  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSON- 

present,  that,  from  the  passage  quoted  in  the  text  above,  it  is 
evident  that  the  sacrifice  was  secondary.  The  motive  or  prac- 
tical religion  was  everything.  The  mere  sacrifice  did  not 
obtain  pardon  for  the  wrong  doer;  he  had  to  make  his  wrong 
right,  and  be  punished  in  addition  by  a  fine. 

The  punishment  of  Nadab  and  Abihu,  as  swift  and  as  mys- 
terious as  if  the  ark  had  become  charged  with  electricity  and 
they  had  received  a  shock  from  it,  is  regarded  as  a  warning 
against  all  improper  worship,  or  worship  while  in  an  improper 
condition.  The  context  would  almost  imply  that  they  had 
lost  the  power  of  thinking  clearly,  through  indulgence  in  wine, 
Wine  wrongly  indulged  in  deprives  man  of  his  reason  and 
reduces  him  to  brute  condition.  In  this  connection  we  must 
remember  that  when  Nadab  and  Abihu  were  consecrated  to 
be  priests,  the  ear,  the  thumb  and  the  toe  were  touched  in  the 
ceremony. 

Because  man  alone,  in  all  animal  creation,  has  the  shell-shaped 
ear,  combined  with  the  power  of  motivity  and  shape  of  the 
thumb  and  corresponding  member  of  the  foot.  Man,  and 
especially  a  priest,  must  preserve  all  distinguishing  traits  of 
character  also,  or  he  becomes  brutalized. 

Among  the  references  to  mourning  customs  conveyed  in  the 
words  of  Moses  to  Aaron,  we  find,  besides  rending  the  gar- 
ments, the  custom  of  abstaining  from  meat  pending  interment, 
— cited  by  Aaron  as  an  excuse  why  he  had  not  eaten  certain 
parts  of  the  sacrifices,  and  received  as  a  sufficient  excuse  by 
Moses. 

We  must  notice  that  the  expression,  "Moses  was  angry,''  is 
used  only  of  him  as  a  public  man.  In  his  public  life,  as 
a  leader  for  God,  he  was  angered  at  any  disobedience  of  God's 
will.  So  far  as  his  private  life  went,  he  was  "the  meekest  of 
men." 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  141 

The  solemn  charge  to  the  Hebrews  contains  the  teaching 
that  national  prosperity  will  depend  upon  national  obedience 
to  the  command  of  God. 

When  a  plant  opens  itself  to  the  air  and  light  around  it,  and 
drinks  in  its  nourishment  and  beauty  from  them  and  from 
the  minerals  around  its  roots,  all  goes  well  with  it;  if  not,  it 
becomes  blighted.  When  an  an  individual  or  a  nation  lives 
according  to  God's  laws,  all  goes  well.  History  attests  this. 
Even  as  history  attests  the  truth  of  the  prophecies  of  Moses, 
set  forth  in  this  chapter,  that  the  result  of  national  dis- 
obedience is  the  blighting  of  national  prosperity. 

But  though  it  all  should  happen,  though  Israel  should  prove 
disobedient,  and  the  natural  result  of  blighting  of  his  prosperity 
follow,  yet  would  God's  love  prevail,  and  His  mercy,  forbear- 
ance, loving  kindness  and  truth  rescue  Israel,  and  through 
him,  all  humanityfrom  sin,  to  bring  all  to  universal  happiness. 

LESSON   XVIII. 
NUMBERS. 


THE    BLESSING   FOR   ISRAEL. 

TEXT:   "  Look  unto  Me,  and  be  saved,  all  ends  of  the  earth. "- 
Isa.  xlv.  22. ) 

And  the  L  >rd  spake  unto  Moses,  saying, 

Speak  unto  Aaron  and  unto  his  sons,  saying,  In 
this  wise  ye  shall  bless  the  children  of  Israel,  saying 
unto  them: 

The  Lord  bless  thee  and  keep  thee; 

The  Lord  make  His  face  shine  upon  thee,  and  be 
gracious  unto  thee  ; 

The  Lord  lift  up  His  countenance  upon  thee  and 
give  thee  peace. 


14^  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

THE   DEDICATION   OF   THE    TABERNACLE. 

And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  day  that  Moses  had 
fully  set  up  the  tabernacle,  and  had  anointed  it  and 
sanctified  it,  and  all  the  instruments  thereof,  both  the 
altar  and  all  the  vessels  thereof,  and  had  anointed 
them  and  sanctified  them, 

That  the  princes  of  Israel,  heads  of  the  house  of 
their  fathers,  who  were  the  princes,  and  were  over 
them  that  were  numbered,  offered. 

And  they  brought  their  offering  before  the  Lord: 
six  covered  wagons,  and  twelve  oxen,  a  wagon  for  two 
of  the  princes,  and  for  each  one  an  ox,  and  they  brought 
them  before  the  tabernacle. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying, 

Take  it  of  them,  that  they  may  be  to  do  the  service 
of  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation. 

And  thou  shaltgive  them  unto  the  Levites,  to  every 
man  according  to  his  service. 

ORDER    AND    DISCIPLINE. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  and  unto  Aaron, say- 
ing, 

Every  man  of  the  children  of  Israel  shall  pitch  by 
his  own  standard,  with  the  ensign  of  their  fathers1 
house;  far  off,  about  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation 
shall  they  pitch. 

And  on  the  east  side,  towards  the  rising  of  the  sun, 
shall  they  of  the  standard  of  the  camp  of  Judah  pitch 
throughout  their  armies. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  143 

And  those  that  do  pitch  next  unto  him  shall  be  the 
tribe  of  Issachar,  then  the  tribe  of  Zebulun. 

On  the  south  side  shall  be  the  standard  of  the  camp 
of  Reuben,  according  to  their  armies. 

And  those  which  pitch  by  him,  shall  be  the  tribe 
of  Simeon. 

Then  the  tribe  of  Gad. 

Then  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation  shall  set 
forward  with  the  camp  of  the  Levites  in  the  midst 
of  the  camp  ;  as  they  encamp  so  shall  they  set  for- 
ward, every  man  in  his  place  by  their  standards. 

On  the  west  side  shall  be  the  standard  of  the  camp 
of  Ephraim,  according  to  their  armies. 

And  by  him  shall  be  the  tribe  of  Menasseh. 

Then  the  tribe  of  Benjamin. 

The  standard  of  the  camp  of  Dan  shall  be  on  the 
north  side,  by  their  armies. 

And  those  that  encamp  by  him  shall  be  the  tribe 
of  Asher. 

Then  the  tribe  of  Naphtali. 

But  the  Levites  were  not  numbered  among  the 
children  of  Israel,  as  the  Lord  commanded  Moses. 

And  the  children  of  Israel  did  according  to  all  that 
the  Lord  commanded  Moses,  so  they  pitched  by  their 
standards,  and  so  they  set  forward-,  every  one  after 
their  families,  according  to  the  house  of  their  fathers. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  Make 
thee  two  trumpets  of  silver:  of  an  whole  piece  shalt 
thou  make  them,  that  them  mayest  use  them  for. the 
calling  of  the  assembly,  and  for  the  journeying  of  the 
camps. 


144  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

And  when  they  shall  blow  with  them,  all  the 
assembly  shall  assemble  themselves  to  thee  at  the 
door  of  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation. 

And  if  they  blow  with  but  one  trumpet,  then  the 
princes,  which  are  heads  of  the  thousands  of  Israel, 
shall  gather  themselves  unto  thee. 

When  ye  blow  an  alarm,  then  the  camps  that  lie 
on  the  east  parts  shall  go  forward. 

When  ye  blow  an  alarm  the  second  time,  then  the 
camps  that  lie  on  the  south  side  shall  take  their  jour- 
ney: they  shall  blow  an  alarm  for  their  journeys. 

But  when  the  congregation  is  to  be  gathered  to- 
gether, ye  shall  blow,  but  ye  shall  not  sound  an  alarm. 

And  the  sons  of  Aaron,  the  priests,  shall  blow  with 
the  trumpets,  and  they  shall  be  to  you  for  an  ordi- 
nance for  ever  throughout  your  generations. 

And  if  ye  go  to  war  in  your  land  against  the 
enemy  that  oppresseth  you,  then  ye  shall  blow  an 
alarm  with  the  trumpets,  and  ye  shall  be  remembered 
before  the  Lord  your  God,  and  ye  shall  be  saved  from 
your  enemies. 

Also  in  the  days  of  your  gladness,  and  in  your 
solemn  days,  and  in  the  beginnings  of  your  months, 
ye  shall  blow  with  the  trumpets  over  your  burnt  offer- 
ings, and  over  the  sacrifices  of  your  peace  offerings, 
that  they  may  be  to  you  for  a  memorial  before  your 
God.  I  am  the  Lord  your  God. 

And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  twentieth  day  of  the 
second  month  in  the  second  year,  that  the  cloud  was 
taken  up  from  off  the  tabernacle  of  the  testimony 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  145 

and  the  children  of  Israel  took  their  journeys  out  of 
the  wilderness  of  Sinai,  and  the  cloud  rested  in  the 
wilderness  of  Paran . 

And  Moses  said  unto  Hobab,  the  son  of  Reuel,  the 
Midianite,  Moses'  father-in-law:  We  are  journeying 
unto  the  place  of  which  the  Lord  said,  I  will  give  it 
to  you;  come  thou  with  us,  and  we  will  do  thee  good, 
for  the  Lord  hath  spoken  good  concerning  Israel. 

And  he  said  unto  him,  I  will  not  go,  but  I  will  de- 
part to  mine  own  land  and  to  my  kindred. 

And  he  said,  Leave  us  not,  I  pray  thee,  for  as  much 
as  thou  knowest  how  we  are  to  encamp  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  thou  mayest  be  to  us  instead  of  eyes. 

And  it  shall  be  if  thou  go  with  us,  yea,  it  shall  be, 
that  what  goodness  the  Lord  shall  do  unto  us,  the 
same  will  we  do  unto  thee. 

And  they  departed  from  the  mount  of  the  Lord 
three  days'  journey,  and  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of 
the  Lord  went  before  them  in  the  three  days'  journey 
to  search  out  a  resting  place  for  them 

Aud  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  ark  set  forward, 
that  Moses  said,  Rise  up,  O  Lord,  and  let  thine 
enemies  be  scattered,  and  let  them  that  hate  Thee 
flee  before  Thee. 

And  when  it  rested,  he  said,  Return,  O  Lord,  to 
the  many  thousands  of  Israel. 

NOTES. 

The  blessing  of  the  priests,  as  the  blessing  at  the  beginning 
of  this  lesson  is  often  called,  is  the  expression  of  the  loftiest 
ideals  of  divine  love,  protection,  compassion  and  forgiveness. 


146  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

God's  love  for  us  all  will  prosper  and  protect  us.  It  will  illumine 
our  lives  and  shed  His  gracious  compassion  upon  us;  it  will 
cause  Him  to  turn  towards  us  instead  of  causing  Him  to  turn 
away  from  us  and  it  will  cause  Him  to  grant  us  happiness. 

The  dedication  of  the  tabernacle  provided  for  an  ever 
present  source  of  inspiration  for  "Whoever  sought  the  Lord" 
(Ex.  xxxiii.  7).  Here  the  sinner  could  hold  communion 
with  God  (Lev.  v.  5),  with  the  additional  advantage  of  solemn 
surroundings  to  properly  attune  his  soul.  Here  the  happy 
mother  could  express  her  gratitude  for  her  child  ( Lev.  xii.  6). 
the  festive  pilgrim  his  thanks  for  past  blessing  (Deut.  xxvi 
i  —  i  r),  and  the  sorrowing  heart  its  secret  grief  or  private  peti- 
tion (Ex.  xxxiii,  7). 

The  tabernacle  is  also  called  "Tent  of  the  congregation," 
"House  of  the  Lord."  In  later  days  it  was  located  permanently 
at  Shiloh  until  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem  was  built.  Other 
houses  for  worship,  or  synagogues,  as  we  find  them  called  in 
Ps  Ixxiv.  8,  were  naturally  erected  as  a  result  of  the  command 
to  make  every  Sabbath  a  day  for  holy  convocation  or  for 
sacred  readings  or  study.  It  appears  from  II.  Kings  iv.  23, 
that  also  on  the  first  of  every  month,  people  used  to  assemble 
to  hear  exposition  by  a  religious  leader. 

The  Sabbath,  New  Year,  Atonement-Day.  Passover,  Pente- 
cost and  Tabernacles  were  seasons  for  "Holy  Convocation," 
family  worship  at  home  or  national  worship  at  Jerusalem. 
Home  religious  education  was  commanded  to  parents — "thou 
shalt  teach  them  (My  words)  diligently  to  thy  children,  when 
thou  sittest  in  thy  house,  when  thou  walkest  by  the  way,  when 
thou  liest  down  and  when  thou  risest  up. " 

Worship  was  by  holy  readings,  or  naturally  by  prayer  (cf. 
Deut  xxvi.)  or  by  sacrifices. 

Sacrifices  were  optional  in  most  cases.     For  national  sacri- 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL   LESSONS  I±J 

fices,  one  lamb,  and  one  only,  was  to  be  offered  morning  and 
evening,  with  the  tenth  part  of  an  ephah  of  fine-flour,  mingled 
with  a  quarter  of  a  hin  of  beaten  oil,  and  a  quarter  of  a  hin  of 
wine 'to  be  poured  out  as  a  drink-offering.  It  would  appear 
thus  to  have  been  mere  formality,  for  all  the  priests  and  their 
families  could  not  subsist  on  two  lambs  per  day,  even  though 
on  Sabbaths  and  Holydays  the  number  was  slightly  increased. 

Voluntary  and  penalty  offerings  were  frequently  vegetable; 
the  constant  expression  "meat  offering."  is  misleading.  It 
should  be  meal  offering.  At  the  time  the  Bible  was  translated 
into  English,  "meat"  was  used  for  substance,  even  more  than 
to-day,  when  we  still  speak  of  the  meat  of  an  orange,  meat  of 
an  egg,  or  meat  of  a  nut,  etc.,  etc.  Voluntary  offerings  were 
simply  expressions  of  private  emotions,  like  money  or  syna- 
gogue furniture  or  seat-rentals  given  to-day.  Penalty  offerings 
for  sin  or  trespass  were  to  prove  that  the  sinner's  contrition 
did  not  consist  in  empty  phrases;  they  were  accompanied  with 
a  proportionate  fine  which  went  to  the  injured  party. 

The  priesthood  was  supported  by  certain  parts  ot  the 
offerings,  tithes  and  first  fruits  When  the  nation  entered  Pal- 
estine, forty- eight  cities  with  suburbs  were  given  them  and  the 
Levites  instead  of  a  tract  of  land.  But  they  might  reside  in 
any  city.  These  cities  were  judiciously  chosen  so  that  all 
parts  of  the  country  were  near  a  priest- city.  The  priesthood 
thus  could  neither  become  a  wealthy  body  nor  interfere  as  a 
body  in  political  matters.  Its  duty  was  to  "  teach  judgments 
to  Jacob  and  the  Law  to  Israel, '  and  to  take  charge  of  cer- 
tain ministerial  duties  (Deut.  xxxiii  10). 

Sacrifices  became  in  time  a  mechanical  method  of  worship, 
just  as  is  ritual  worship  too  often  to  day.  The  prophets  con- 
demn not  sacrifice  itself,  but  "empty  formality"  sacrifices, 
and  especially  sacrifices  offered  by  men  who  led  sinful  lives. 


148  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

"  Sacrifice  and  offering  Thou  didst  not  desire:  mine  ears  hast 
Thou  opened;  burnt- offer  ing  and  sin  offering  hast  Thou  not 
required."  (Ps.  xl.  6). 

"  I  will  take  no  bullock  out  of  thy  house,  nor  he-goats  out  of 
thy  folds.  For  every  beast  of  the  forest  is  Mine,  and  the  cattle 
upon  a  thousand  hills.  I  know  all  the  fowls  of  the  mountains, 
and  the  wild  beasts  of  the  field  are  Mine.  If  I  were  hungry, 
I  would  not  tell  thee,  for  the  world  is  Mine  and  the  fulness 
thereof." 

'•  Will  I  eat  the  flesh  of  bulls  or  drink  the  blood  of  he-goats?" 
(Ps.  1.  9-13.) 

"Thou  desirest  not  sacrifice;  else  would  I  give  it;  Thou 
delightest  not  in  burnt -offering."  (Ps.  li.  16). 

"  I  will  praise  the  name  of  God  with  a  song,  and  will  magnify 
Him  with  thanksgiving.  This  also  will  please  the  Lord  better 
than  an  ox  that  hath  horns  and  hoofs  "  (Ps.  Ixix.  30 — 31). 

"The  sacrifice  of  the  wicked  is  an  abomination  unto  the  Lord, 
but  the  prayer  of  the  upright  is  His  delight  "  (Prov.  xv.  8). 

"  To  what  purpose  is  the  multitude  of  your  sacrifices  unto 
Me  ?  I  am  sated  with  burnt-offerings  of  rams  and  the  fat  of 
fed- beast* ,  and  I  delight  not  in  the  blood  of  bullocks  or  of 
lambs,  or  of  he-goats.  Bring  no  more  vain  oblations,  incense 
is  an  abomination  to  Me."  (Is.  i.  1 1  —  13). 

"To  what  purpose  cometh  there  to  Me  incense  from  Sheba 
and  the  sweet  cane  from  a  far  country  ?  Your  burnt-offerings 
are  not  acceptable,  nor  are  your  sacrifices  sweet  unto  Me. " 
(Jer.  vi.  20  . 

"  Wherewith  shall  I  come  before  the  Lord,  and  bow  myself 
before  the  High  God  ? 

"Shall  I  come  before  Him  with  burnt -offerings  and  with 
calves  of  a  year  old  ? 

"  Will  the  Lord  be  pleased  with  thousands  of  rams  or  with 
ten  thousands  of  rivers  of  oil?"  (Micah  vi.  6—7). 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  149 

It  is  abundantly  evident,  therefore,  that  the  mere  act  of 
sacrifice  never  was,  never  can  be  accepted  as  an  act  of 
worship  itself. 

What  alone  can  be  acceptable,  is  the  prayerful  or  humble 
spirit  in  which  the  sacrifice  is  brought,  and  provided  also  that 
the  personal  life  of  him  who  brings  the  offering  is  of  sweet 
savor  to  the  Lord,  that  is  to  say,  provided  the  life  of  him  who 
offers  is  a  life  of  love,  justice  and  purity. 

This  also  is  abundantly  proved  in  Holy  Writ: 

Hath  the  Lord  as  great  delight  in  burnt -offerings  and  sacri. 
fices  as  in  obeying  the  voice  of  the  Lord  ?  Behold  to  obey  is 
better  than  sacrifice,  and  to  hearken,  than  the  fat  "of  rams." 
(I.  Sam.  xv.  22.) 

"  Bring  an  offering,  and  come  before  Him:  worship  the  Lord 
in  the  beauty  of  purity."  (I.  Ch.  xvi.  29.) 

"  Offer  sacrifices  of  righteousness,  and  put  your  trust  in  the 
Lord."  (Ps.  iv.  5). 

"  Offer  unto  God  thanksgiving,  and  keep  thy  promises  to 
God."  (Ps.  1.  14.) 

"The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  spirit:  a  broken  and  a 
contrite  heart,  O  God,  Thou  wilt  not  despise."  (Ps.  li.  17). 

"  Let  them  sacrifice  the  sacrifices  of  thanksgiving,  and 
declare  His  work  with  rejoicing"  (Ps.  cvii.  22). 

"To  do  justice  and  judgment  is  more  acceptable  to  the 
Lord  than  sacrifice.''  (Prov.  xxi.  13). 

''  For  I,  the  Lord,  love  judgment,  I  hate  robbery  with  burnt 
offering."  (Isa.  Ixi.  8). 

' '  For  I  desire  mercy  and  not  sacrifice,  and  the  knowledge 
of  God  more  than  burnt-offerings."  (Hos.  vi.  6). 

"  He  hath  showed  thee,  O  man,  what  is  good,  and  what  doth 
the  Lord  require  of  thee,  but  to  do  justice,  and  love  loving- 
kindness  and  to  walk  humbly  with  thy  God."  (Micah.  vi.  8>. 


15°  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

' '  Let  them  be  the  Lord's  bringers  of  offering  with  right- 
eousness." (Mai.  iii.  3). 

"  And  (then)  the  offering  of  Judah  and  Jerusalem  will  be 
pleasant  unto  the  Lord,  as  in  days  of  old,  and  in  former  years." 
(Mai.  iii.  4.) 


LESSON  XVIII— (Continued.) 

THE  APPOINTMENT  OF  A  COUNCIL  OF  SEVENTY. 

TEXT:  "  Keep  thy  tongue  from  evil  and  thy  lips  from  speaking 
guile.  Depart  from  evil  and  do  good ;  seek  peace  and  pursue  it. 
(Ps.  xxxiv.  13,  14.) 

And  the  mixed  multitude  that  was  among  them 
fell  a  lusting,  and  the  children  of  Israel  also  wept 
again,  and  said,  Who  shall  give  us  flesh  to  eat? 

And  Moses  said  unto  the  L/ord,  Wherefore  hast 
Thou  afflicted  Thy  servant  ?  and  wherefore  have  I 
not  found  favor  in  Thy  sight,  that  Thou  layest  the 
burden  of  all  this  people  upon  me  ? 

Whence  should  I  have  flesh  to  give  unto  this  peo- 
ple, for  they  weep  unto  me,  saying,  Give  us  flesh  that 
we  may  eat? 

I  am  not  able  to  bear  all  this  people  alone,  because 
it  is  too  heavy  for  me  ;  and  if  Thou  deal  thus  with 
me,  kill  ine,  I  pray  Thee,  out  of  hand,  if  I  have  found 
favor  in  Thy  sight,  and  let  me  not  see  my  wretched- 
ness. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Gather  unto  Me 
seventy  men  of  the  elders  of  Israel,  whom  thou  know- 
est  to  be  the  elders  of  the  people,  and  officers  over 


SUNI>A V    SCHOOL   LESSONS  :  5  I 

them,  and  bring  them  unto  the  tabernacle  of  the  con- 
gregation, that  they  may  stand  there  with  thee, 

And  I  will  come  down  and  talk  with  thee  there,  and 
I  will  take  of  the  spirit  which  is  upon  thee  and  will 
put  it  upon  them,  and  they  shall  bear  the  burden  01 
the  people  with  thee,  that  thou  bear  it  not  thyself 
alone. 

And  say  unto  the  people,  Sanctify  yourselves  against 
to-morrow,  and  ye  shall  eat  flesh,  for  ye  have  wept  in 
the  ears  of  the  Lord,  saying,  Who  shall  give  us  flesh 
to  eat?  for  it  was  well  with  us  in  Egypt  ;  therefore 
the  Lord  will  give  you  flesh,  and  ye  shall  eat. 

Ye  shall  not  eat  one  day,  nor  two  days,  nor  five 
days,  neither  ten  days,  nor  twenty  days, 

But  even  a  whole  month,  until  it  come  out  of  your 
nostrils,  and  it  be  loathsome  unto  you,  because  that 
ye  have  despised  the  Lord  that  is  among  you,  and 
have  wept  before  Him,  saying,  Why  came  we  forth  out 
of  Egypt 

And  Moses  said,  The  people  among  whom  I  am  are 
six  hundred  thousand  footmen,  and  Thou  hast  said, 
I  will  give  them  flesh,  that  they  may  eat  a  whole 
month. 

Shall  the  flocks  and  the  herds  be  slain  for  them  to 
suffice  them,  or  shall  all  the. fish  of  the  sea  be  gathered 
together  for  them  to  suffice  them  ? 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Is  the  Lord's  hand 
waxed  short?  thou  shalt  see  now  whether  My  word 
shall  come  to  pass  with  thee  or  not. 

And  Moses  went  out  and  told  the  people  the  words 


152  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSON^ 

of  the  Lord,  and  gathered  the  seventy  men  of  the 
elders  of  the  people,  and  set  them  round  about  the 
tabernacle. 

And  the  Lord  came  down  in  a  cloud  and  spake 
unto  him,  and  took  of  the  spirit  that  was  upon  him, 
and  gave  it  unto  the  seventy  elders,  and  it  came  to 
pass  that  when  the  spirit  rested  upon  them,  they  pro- 
phesied, and  did  not  cease. 

But  there  remained  two  of  the  men  in  the  camp  : 
the  name  of  the  one  was  Eldad,  and  the  name  of  the 
other  Medad,  and  the  spirit  rested  upon  them,  and 
they  were  of  them  that  were  within,  but  went  not  out 
unto  the  tabernacle,  and  they  prophesied  in  the  camp. 

And  there  came  a  young  man  and  told  Moses,  and 
said,  Eldad  and  Medad  do  prophesy  in  the  camp. 

And  Joshua,  the  son  of  Nun,  the  servant  of  Moses, 
one  of  his  young  men,  answered  and  said,  My  lord 
Moses,  forbid  them. 

And  Moses  said  unto  him,  Enviest  thou  for  my 
sake?  Would  God  that  all  the  Lord's  people  were 
prophets,  and  that  the  Lord  would  put  His  spirit  upon 
them. 

And  Moses  gat  him  into  the  camp,  he  and  the  eld- 
ers of  Israel. 

And  there  went  forth  a  wind  from  the  Lord,  and 
brought  quails  from  the  sea  and  let  them  fall  by  the 
camp,  as  it  were  a  day's  journey  on  this  side,  and  as 
it  were  a  day's  journey  on  the  other  side  round  about 
the  camp,  and  as  it  were  two  cubits  high  upon  the 
face  of  the  earth. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL   LESSONS  153 

And  the  people  stood  up  all  that  day,  and  all  that 
night,  and  all  the  next  day,  and  they  gathered  the 
quails  :  he  that  gathered  least  gathered  ten  homers, 
and  they  spread  them  all  abroad  for  themselves  round 
about  the  camp. 

And  while  the  flesh  was  yet  between  their  teeth, 
ere  it  was  chewed,  the  wrath  of  the  Lord  was  kindled 
against  the  people,  and  the  Lord  smote  the  people 
with  a  very  great  plague. 

And  he  called  the  name  of  that  place  Kibroth- 
Hattaavah,  because  there  they  buried  the  people  that 
lusted. 

And  Miriam  and  Aaron  spake  against  Moses  because 
of  the  Ethiopian  woman  whom  he  had  married,  for 
he  had  married  an  Ethiopian  woman. 

And  they  said,  Hath  the  Lord  indeed  spoken  only 
by  Moses?  hath  He  not  spoken  also  by  us?  And  the 
Lord  heard  it. 

Now,  the  man  Moses  was  very  meek,  above  all  the 
men  which  were  upon  the  face  of  the  earth. 

And  the  Lord  spake  suddenly  unto  Moses  and  unto 
Aaron  and  unto  Miriam,  Come  forth,  O  ye  three,  unto 
the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation.  And  they  three 
came  forth. 

And  the  Lord  came  down  in  the  pillar  of  the  cloud, 
and  stood  in  the  door  of  the  tabernacle,,  and  called 
Aaron  and  Miriam,  and  they  both  came  forth. 

And  He  said,  Hear  now  My  words  :  If  there  be  a 
prophet  among  you,  I,  the  Lord,  will  make  myself 
known  unto  him  in  a  vision,  and  will  speak  unto  him 
in  a  dream. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 


My  servant  Moses  is  not  so  :  who  is  faithful  in  all 
my  house. 

With  him  will  I  speak  mouth  to  mouth,  even 
.apparently,  and  not  in  dark  speeches,  and  the  simili- 
tude of  the  Lord  shall  he  behold;  wherefore,  then, 
were  ye  not  afraid  to  speak  against  My  servant  Moses? 

And  the  anger  of  the  Lord  was  kindled  against 
them,  and  He  departed. 

And  the  cloud  departed  from  off  the  tabernacle,  and, 
behold,  Miriam  became  leprous,  white  as  snow,  and 
Aaron  looked  upon  Miriam  and,  behold,  she  was 
leprous. 

And  Aaron  said  unto  Moses,  Alas  !  my  lord,  I 
beseech  thee,  lay  not  the  sin  upon  us  wherein  we  have 
done  foolishly,  and  wherein  we  have  sinned. 

And  Moses  cried  unto  the  Lord,  saying,  Heal  her 
now,  O  God,  I  beseech  Thee. 

And  Miriam  was  shut  out  of  the  camp  seven  days, 
and  the  people  journeyed  not  till  Miriam  was  brought 
in  again. 

And  afterwards  the  people  removed  from  Hazeroth, 
and  pitched  in  the  wilderness  of  Paran. 


LESSON  XVIII.— (Continued.) 

SPYING   OUT    THE    LAND. 

TEXT:  Behold,  I  am  the  Lord,  the  God  of  all  flesh:  is  there  any- 
thing too  hard  for  me?" — Jerem.  xxxii.  27. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  Send  thon 
men  that  they  may  search  the  land  of  Canaan,    which 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  155 

I  give  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  of  every  tribe  of 
their  fathers  shall  ye  send  a  man,  every  one  a  prince 
among  them. 

And  Moses,  by  the  commandment  of  the  Lord,  sent 
them  from  the  wilderness  of  Paran,  all  those  men  were 
heads  of  the  children  of  Israel. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Get  you  up  this  way  south- 
ward, and  go  up  into  the  mountain. 

And  see  the  land,  what  it  is,  and  the  people  that 
dwelleth  therein,  whether  they  be  strong  or  weak,  few 
or  many. 

And  what  the  land  is  that  they  dwell  in,  whether  it 
be  good  or  bad,  and  what  cities  there  be  that  they 
dwell  in,  whether  in  tents  or  in  strongholds. 

And  what  the  land  is,  whether  it  be  fat  or  lean, 
whether  there  be  wood  therein  or  not.  And  be  ye  of 
good  courage,  and  bring  of  the  fruit  of  the  land.  Now 
the  time  was  the  time  of  the  first  ripe  grapes. 

So  they  went  up  and  searched  the  land  from  the 
wilderness  of  Zin  an  to  Rehob,  as  men  come  to 
Hamath. 

And  they  ascended  by  the  south,  and  came  to 
Hebron,  where  Ahiman,  Sheshai  and  Talmai,  the 
children  of  Anak,  were. 

Now  Hebron  was  built  seven  years  before  Zoan  in 
Egypt. 

And  they  came  unto  the  brook  of  Eshcol,  and  cut 
down  from  them  a  branch  with  one  cluster  of  grapes, 
and  they  bare  it  between  two,  upon  a  staff,  and  they 
brought  of  the  pomegranates  and  of  the  figs. 


156  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

The  place  was  called  the  Brook  of  Eshcol,  because 
of  the  cluster  of  grapes,  which  the  children  of  Israel 
cut  down  from  them. 

And  they  returned  after  searching  of  the  land  after 
forty  days. 

And  they  went,  and  they  came  unto  Moses  and  unto 
Aaron,  and  to  all  the  congregation  of  the  children  of 
Israel,  unto  the  wilderness  of  Paran  to  Kadesh,  and 
brought  back  word  unto  them,  and  unto  all  the  con- 
gregation and  showed  them  the  fruit  of  the  land. 

And  they  told  him  and  said,  We  came  unto  the  land 
whither  thou  sentest  us,  and  surely  it  floweth  with 
milk  and  honey,  and  this  is  the  fruit  of  it. 

Nevertheless,  the  people  be  strong  that  dwell  in  the 
land,  and  the  cities  are  walled,  and  very  great;  more- 
over we  saw  the  children  of  Anak  there. 

The  Amalekites  dwell  in  the  land  of  the  south,  and 
the  Hittites  and  the  Jebusites  and  the  Amorites  dwell 
in  the  mountains,  and  the  Canaanites  dwell  by  the 
sea,  and  by  the  coast  of  Jordan. 

And  Caleb  stilled  the  people  before  Moses,  and  said, 
Let  us  go  up  at  once  and  possess  it,  for  we  are  well 
able  to  overcome  it. 

But  the  men  that  went  up  with  him  said,  We  be 
not  able  to  go  up  against  the  people  for  they  are 
stronger  than  we. 

And  they  brought  up  an  evil  report  of  the  land 
which  they  had  searched,  unto  the  children  of  Israel, 
saying,  -The  land  through  which  we  have  gone  to 
search  it,  is  a  land  that  eateth  up  the  inhabitants 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  157 

thereof,  and  all  the  people  that  we  saw  in  it  are  men 
of  a  great  stature. 

And  there  we  saw  the  giants,  the  sons  of  Anak 
which  came  of  the  giants,  and  we  were  in  our  own 
sight  as  grasshoppers,  and  so  we  were  in  their  sight. 

And  all  the  congregation  lifted  up  their  voice 
and  cried,  and  the  people  wept  that  night. 
•  And  all  the  children  of  Israel  murmured  against 
Moses  and  against  Aaron,  and  the  whole  congrega- 
tion said  unto  them,  Would  God  that  we  had  died  in 
the  land  of  Egypt,  or  would  God  we  had  died  in  the 
wilderness. 

And  wherefore  hath  the  Lord  brought  us  unto  this 
land,  to  fall  by  the  sword,  that  our  wives  and  our 
children  should  be  a  prey,  were  it  not  better  for  us  to 
return  unto  Egypt? 

And  they  said  one  to  another,  Let  us  make  a  cap- 
tain, and  let  us  return  to  Egypt. 

Then  Moses  and  Aaron  fell  on  their  faces  before 
all  the  assembly  of  the  congregation  of  children  of 
Israel. 

And  Joshua,  the  son  of  Nun,  and  Caleb,  the  son  of 
Jephunneh,  which  were  of  them  that  searched  the 
land,  -rent  their  clothes. 

And  they  spake  unto  all  the  company  of  the  children 
of  Israel,  sayiug,  The  land  which  we  passed  through 
to  search  it,  is  an  exceeding  good  land. 

If  the  Lord  delight  in  us,  then  he  will  bring  us  into 
this  land,  and  give  it  us,  a  land  which  floweth  with 
milk  and  honey. 


IS**  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

Only  rebel  not  ye  against  the  Lord,  neither  fear  ye 
the  people  of  the  land,  for  they  are  bread  for  us,  their 
defence  is  departed  from  them,  and  the  Lord  is  with 
us,  fear  them  not. 

But  all  the  congregation  bade  stone  them  with 
stones.  And  the  glory  of  the  Lord  appeared  in  the 
tabernacle  of  the  congregation,  before  all  the  children 
of  Israel. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  How  long  will  this 
people  provoke  Ivle,  and  how  long  will  it  be  ere  they 
believe  Me,  for  all  the  signs  which  I  have  showed 
among  them.  I  should  smite  them  with  the  pestilence 
and  disinherit  them,  and  make  of  thee  a  greater 
nation,  and  mightier  than  they. 

And  Moses  said  unto  the  Lord,  Then  the  Egyptians 
would  hear  it  (for  thou  broughtest  up  this  people  in 
Thy  might  from  among  them). 

And  they  would  tell  it  to  the  inhabitants  of  this  land, 
for  they  have  heard  that  Thou,  Lord,  art  among  this 
people,  that  Thou,  Lord,  art  seen  face  to  face,  and 
that  Thy  cloud  standeth  over  them,  and  that  Thou 
goest  before  them  by  day-time  in  a  pillar  of  a  cloud, 
and  in  a  pillar  of  fire  by  night. 

Now,  if  Thou  shalt  kill  all  this  people  as  one  man, 
then  the  nations  which  have  heard  the  fame  of  Thee? 
will  speak,  saying: 

Because  the  Lord  was  not  able  to  bring  this  people 
into  the  land  which  He  sware  unto  them,  therefore 
He  hath  slain  them  in  the  wilderness. 

And  now,  I  beseech  thee,  let  the  power  of  my  Lord 
be  great,  according  as  Thou  hast  spoken,  saying; 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSOXS  159 

The  Lord  is  long  suffering  and  of  great  mercy,  for- 
giving iniquity  and  transgression,  and  by  no  means 
clearing  the  guilty,  visiting  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers 
upon  children,  unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation. 

Pardon,  I  beseech  thee,  the  iniquity  of  this  people, 
according  to  the  greatness  of  Thy  loving-kindness, 
and  as  Thou  hast  forgiven  this  people  from  Egypt 
until  now. 

And  the  Lord  said,  I  have  pardoned  according  to 
thy  word. 

But  as  truly  as  I  live,  all  the  earth  shall  be  rilled 
with  the  glory  of  the  Lord. 

Because  all  those  men  which  have  seen  My  glory 
and  My  miracles  which  I  did  in  the  wilderness,  and 
have  tempted  Me  now  these  ten  times,  and  have  not 
hearkened  to  My  voice 

Surely  they  may  not  see  the  land  which  I  sware 
unto  their  fathers,  neither  can  any  of  them  that  pro- 
voked Me  see  it. 

But  My  servant  Caleb,  because  he  had  another 
spirit  with  him,  and  hath  followed  Me  fully,  him  will 
I  bring  into  the  laud  wherein  he  went,  and  his  seed 
shall  possess  it. 

Now  the  Amalekites  and  the  Canaanites  dwell  in 
the  valley.  To  morrow,  turn  you,  and  get  you  into  the 
wilderness,  by  the  way  of  the  Red  Sea. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  and  unto  Aaron 
saying, 

How  long  shall  I  bear  with  this  evil  congregation, 
which  murmur  against  Me,  I  have  heard  the  murmur- 


l6o  SUNDAY   SCHOOL    LESSONS 

ings   of  the   children   of  Israel    which  they  murrain 
against  Me. 

Say  unto  them,  As  truly  as  I  live,  saith  the  Lord,  as 
ye  have  spoken  in  Mine  ears,  so  must  I  do  to  you. 

Your  carcasses  must  fall  in  this  wilderness,  and  all 
that  were  numbered  of  you  according  to  your  whole 
number  from  twenty  years  old  and  upwards,  which 
have  murmured  against  Me. 

Doubtless  ye  shall  not  come  into  the  land,  concern- 
ing which  I  sware  to  make  you  dwell  thereiu,  save 
Caleb  the  son  of  Jephunneh,  and  Joshua  the  son  of 
Nun. 

But  your  little  ones,  which  ye  said  should  be  a  prey, 
them  will  I  bring  in,  and  they  shall  know  the  land 
which  ye  have  despised. 

But  as  for  you,  your  carcasses,  they  must  fall  in  the 
wilderness. 

And  your  children  must  wander  in  the  wilderness 
forty  years,  and  bear  your  unholy  waywardness  until 
your  bodies  be  wasted  in  the  wilderness. 

After  the  number  of  days  in  which  ye  searched  the 
land,  even  forty  days,  each  day  for  a  year,  must  ye 
bear  your  iniquities,  even  forty  years,, and  ye  shall 
know  My  alienation. 

I  the  Lord  have  said,  I  will  surely  do  it  unto  all 
this  evil  congregation  that  are  gathered  together 
against  Me,  in  this  wilderness  they  shall  be  consumed, 
and  there  they  shall  die. 

And  the  men  which  Moses  sent  to  search  the  land, 
who  returned  and  made  all  the  congregation  to  mur- 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL   LESSONS  l6l 

mur  against  him,  by  bringing  up  an  evil  report  upon 
the  land,  died  by  the  plague  before  the  Lord. 

NOTES. 

The  appointment  of  the  council  of  seventy  elders  is 
regarded  as  the  origin  of  the  Sanhedrin  or  Congress. 

The  difference  between  Moses  and  other  prophets  is  that 
God  conveyed  Divine  impressions  into  the  mind  of  the 
former  while  he  was  awake  and  in  full  possession  of  his 
senses;  but  to  the  latter  the  impressions  were  conveyed  in 
visions  or  dreams. 

Moses  was  the  meekest  of  men,  so  far  as  his  private  affairs 
went,  but  as  the  servant  of  God,  he  was  very  zealous,  and 
at  times  angry  for  his  Master's  honor. 

The  episode  of  the  twelve  spies  shows  us  the  moral 
courage  of  Joshua  and  Caleb  in  standing  up  for  the  right, 
despite  the  majority  against  them. 


LESSON  XIX. 

KORAH. 

TEXT  :   "Follow  not  a  multitude  to  do  evil."     Exod.  xxii,  2. 

Now  Korah,  great-grandson  ofLevi,  aud  Dathan, 
Abiram  and  Ou,  descendants  of  Reuben,  rose  against 
Moses  and  Aaron  with  two  hundred  and  fifty  princes 
of  the  congregation,  famous  and  men  of  renown,  and 
said  unto  them:  Ye  take  too  much  upon  you,  seeing  all 
the  congregation  are  holy,  every  one  of  them,  and  the 
Lord  is  among  them ;  wherefore  then  lift  ye  up  your- 
selves above  the  congregation  of  the  Lor  (\  ? 

And  when  Moses  heard  it,  he  fell  upon  his  face. 


1 62  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

And  he  spake  unto  Korah,  and  unto  all  his  com- 
pany, saying,  Even  to-morrow  the  Lord  will  show  you 
who  are  His,  and  who  is  holy,  and  will  cause  him  to 
come  near  unto  Him,  even  him  whom  He  hath  chosen. 

This  do,  take  you  censers,  Korah  and  all  his  com- 
pany. 

And  put  fire  therein,  and  put  incense  in  them  be- 
fore the  Lord  to-morrow,  and  it  shall  be  that  the  man 
whom  the  Lord  doth  choose,  he  shall  be  holy:  ye  take 
too  much  upon  you,  ye  sons  of  Levi, 

And  Moses  said  unto  Korah,  Hear,  I  pray  you,  ye 
sous  of  Levi. 

Seemeth  it  but  a  small  thing  unto  you,  that  He 
hath  separated  you  from  the  congregation  of  Israel ,  to 
bring  you  near  unto  Himself  to  do  the  service  of  the 
tabernacle,  and  to  stand  before  the  congregation  to 
minister  unto  them  ?  And  seek  ye  the  priesthood  ? 

And  Moses  sent  to  call  Dathan  and  Abiram,  and 
they  said,  We  will  not  come  up. 

Is  it  a  small  thing,  that  thou  hast  brought  us  up  out 
of  a  land  that  floweth  with  milk  and  honey,  to  kill  us 
in  the  wilderness,  except  thou  make  thyself  altogether 
a  prince  over  us? 

Moreover  thou  hast  not  brought  us  into  a  land  that 
floweth  with  milk  and  honey,  or  given  us  inheritance 
of  fields  and  vineyards:  Wilt  thou  put  out  the  eyes  of 
these  men?  We  will  not  come  up. 

And  Moses  was  very  wroth,  and  said  unto  the  Lord,. 
Respect  not  thou  their  offering,  I  hax'e  not  taken  one 
ass  from  them*  neither  have  I  hurt  one  df  them. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  163 

And  Moses  said  unto  Kornh,  Be  thou  and  all  thy 
company  before  the  Lord,  thou  and  they,  and  Aaron 
to-morrow. 

And  take  every  man  his  censer  and  put  incense  in 
them,  and  bring  ye  before  the  Lord  every  man  his 
censer,  two  hundred  and  fifty  censers,  thou  also  and 
Aaron,  each  of  you  his  censer. 

And  they  took  every  man  his  censer,  and  put  fire  in 
them,  and  laid  incense  therein,  and  stood  in  the  door 
of  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation,  with  Moses  and 
Aaron. 

And  Korah  gathered  all  the  congregation  against 
them  unto  the  door  of  the  tabernacle  of  the  congrega- 
tion, and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  appeared  unto  all  the 
congregation.  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  and 
unto  Aaron  saying: 

Separate  yourselves  from  among  this  congregation, 
that  I  may  consume  them  in  a  moment. 

And  they  fell  upon  their  faces  and  said,  O  God,  the 
God  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh,  shall  one  man  sin,  and 
wilt  Thou  be  wroth  with  all  the  congregation  ? 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying: 

Speak  unto  the  congregation,  saying,  Get  you  up 
from  about  the  tabernacle  of  Korah,  Dathan  and 
Abiram. 

And  Moses  rose  up  and  went  unto  Dathan  and 
Abiram,  and  the  elders  of  Israel  followed  him. 

And  he  spake  unto  the  congregation,  saying, 
Depart,  I  pray  you,  from  the  tents  of  these  -wicked  men 
and  touch  nothing  of  theirs,  lest  ye  be  consumed  in  all 
their  sins. 


164  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

So  they  gat  up  from  the  tabernacle  of  Korah, 
Dathan  and  Abiram  on  evtry  side,  and  Dathan  and 
Abiram  came  out,  and  stood  in  the  door  of  their  tent, 
and  their  wives,  and  their  sons,  and  their  little 
children. 

And  Moses  said,  Thereby  ye  shall  know  that  the 
Lord  hath  sent  me  to  do  all  these  works,  for  I  have 
not  done  them  of  my  own  mind. 

If  these  men  die  the  common  death  of  all  meu,  or  if 
they  be  visited  after  the  visitation  of  all  men.  then 
the  Lord  hath  not  sent  me. 

But  if  the  Lord  make  a  new  thing,  and  the  earth 
open  her  mouth  and  swallow  them  up,  with  all  that 
appertain  unto  them,  and  they  go  down  quick  into  the 
pit,  then  ye  shall  understand  that  these  men  have 
provoked  the  Lord. 

And  it  came  to  pass  as  he  had  made  an  end  of  speak- 
ing all  these  words,  that  the  ground  clave  asunder  that 
\vas  under  them. 

And  the  earth  opened  her  mouth  and  swallowed 
them  up,  and  their  houses,  and  all  the  men  that  apper- 
tained unto  Korah,  and  all  their  goods. 

They  and  all  that  appertained  to  them  went  down 
alive  into  the  pit,  and  the  earth  closed  upon  them, 
and  they  perished  from  among  the  congregation. 

And  all  Israel  that  were  round  about  them  fled  at 
the  cry  of  them,  for  they  said,  Lest  the  earth  swallow 
us  up  also. 

But  on  the  morrow  all  the  congregation  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  murmured  against  Moses  and  against 
Aaron,  saying,  Ye  have  killed  the  people  of  the  Lord. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  165 

And  it  came  to  pass  when  the  congregation  was 
gathered  against  Moses  and  against  Aaron,  that  they 
looked  towards  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation, 
and,  behold,  the  cloud  covered  it,  and  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  appeared. 

And  Moses  and  Aaron  came  before  the  tabernacle 
of  the  congregation. 

And  the  Lord  spake,  unto  Moses  saying, 

Get  you  up  from  this  congregation  that  I  may  con- 
sume them  as  in  a  moment,  and  they  fell  upon  their 
faces. 

And  Moses  said  unto  Aaron,  Take  a  censer  and  put 
fire  therein  from  off  the  altar,  and  put  on  incense,  and 
go  quickly  unto  the  congregation,  and  make  an  atone- 
ment for  them  for  there  is  wrath  gone  out  from  the 
Lord,  the  plague  is  begun. 

And  Aaron  took  as  Moses  commanded,  and  ran  into 
the  midst  of  the  congregation,  and,  behold,  the  plague 
was  begun  among  the  people,  and  he  put  on  incense, 
and  made  an  atonement  for  the  people. 

And  he  stood  between  the  dead  and  the  living,  and 
the  plague  was  stayed. 

Now  they  that  died  in  the  plague  were  fourteen 
thousand  and  seven  hundred,  besides  them  that  died 
about  the  matter  of  Korah. 

NOTES. 

Great  men  always  have  enemies,  and  usually  among  the 
very  ones  who  should  be  their  supporters.  For  there  will 
always  be  some  who  are  jealous  of  greatness  and  who  would 
attempt  to  occupy  coveted  positions,  even  if  unfitted.  Korah, 


l66  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

as  one  of  the  priestly  tribe,  should  rather  have  supported 
Moses  and  Aaron,  also  members  of  that  tribe,  all  the  more 
vigorously. 

It  is  said  that  the  sons  of  Korah  repented  at  the  last 
moment.  Their  descendants  became  renowned  in  the  Tem- 
ple choral  service. 

The  whole  story  shows  how  wicked  and  wilful  men  can 
disturb  a  community. 


LESSON  XX. 

THE  DEATH  OF  MIRIAM.    THE  SIN  OF  MOSES  AND 
AARON.     THE  DEATH  OF  AARON. 

TEXT:  "  Buy  the  truth  and  sell  it  not."   Prov.  xxiii,  23. 

Then  came  the  children  of  Israel,  even  the  whole 
congregation  into  the  desert  of  Zin,  in  the  first  month, 
and  the  people  abode  in  Kadesh,  and  Miriam  died 
there  and  was  buried  there. 

And  there  was  no  water  for  the  congregation,  and 
they  gathered  themselves  together  against  Moses  and 
against  Aaron. 

And  the  people  chode  with  Moses,  and  spoke  saying, 
Would  God  that  we  had  died  when  our  brethren  died 
before  the  Lord. 

And  why  have  ye  brought  up  the  congregation  of 
the  Lord  into  this  wilderness  that  we  and  our  cattle 
should  die  there  ? 

And  wherefore  have  ye  made  us  to  come  out  of 
Egypt  to  bring  us  into  this  evil  place,  it  is  no  place 
of  seed,  nor  of  figs  nor  of  vines  nor  of  pomegranates, 
neither  is  there  any  water  to  drink. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  167 

And  Moses  and  Aaron  went  from  the  presence  of 
the  assembly  unto  the  door  of  the  tabernacle  of  the 
congregation,  and  they  fell  upon  their  faces,  and  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  appeared  unto  them. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  saying, 

Take  the  rod,  and  gather  thou  the  assembly  together, 
thou  and  Aaron  thy  brother,  and  speak  ye  unto  the 
rock  before  their  eyes,  and  it  shall  give  forth  water; 
and  thou  shall  bring  forth  to  them  water  out  of  the 
rock,  so  thou  shalt  give  the  congregation  and  their 
beasts  drink. 

And  Moses  took  the  rod  from  before  the  Lord,  as 
He  commanded  him. 

And  Moses  and  Aaron  gathered  the  congregation 
together  before  the  rock,  and  he  said  unto  them,  Hear 
now  ye  rebels,  must  we  fetch  you  water  out  of  this 
rock? 

And  Moses  lifted  up  his  hand,  and  with  the  rod  he 
smote  the  rock  twice,  and  the  water  came  out  abund- 
antly, and  the  congregation  drank,  and  their  beasts  also. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  and  Aaron,  Because 
ye  believed  Me  not,  to  sanctify  Me  in  the  eyes  of  the 
children  of  Israel,  therefore  ye  shall  not  bring  this 
congregation  into  the  land  which  I  have  given  them. 

This  is  the  water  of  Meribah,  because  the  children 
of  Israel  strove  with  the  Lord,  and  He  was  sanctified 
in  them. 

And  Moses  sent  messengers  from  Kadesh  unto  the 
King  of  Edom,  Thus  saith  thy  brother  Israel,  Thou 
knowest  all  the  travail  that  hath  befallen  us, 


1 68  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

How  our  fathers  went  down  into  Egypt,  and  we 
have  dwelt  in  Egypt  a  long  time,  and  the  Egyptians 
ill-treated  us  and  our  fathers. 

And  we  cried  unto  the  Lord,  and  He  heard  our 
voice  and  sent  an  angel,  and  hath  brought  us  forth 
out  of  Egypt,  and  behold  we  are  in  Kadesh,  a  city  in 
the  uttermost  of  thy  border. 

Let  us  pass,  I  pray  thee,  through  thy  country;  we 
will  not  pass  through  the  fields,  or  through  the  vine- 
yards, neither  will  we  drink  of  well-water;  we  will 
go  by  the  king's  high-way,  we  will  not  turn  to  the 
right  hand  nor  to  the  left  until  we  have  passed  thy 
borders. 

And  Edom  said  unto  him,  Thou  shalt  not  pass  by 
me,  lest  I  come  out  to  meet  thee  with  the  sword. 

And  the  children  of  Israel  said  unto  him,  We  will 
go  by  the  highway,  and  if  I  and  my  cattle  drink  of 
thy  water,  then  I  will  pay  for  it,  only  I  will  go 
through  on  my  feet  without  doing  anything  else. 

And  he  said,  Thou  shalt  not  pass  through.  And 
Edom  came  out  against  him  with  much  people,  and 
with  a  strong  hand. 

Thus  Edom  refused  to  give  Israel  passage  through 
his  border,  wherefore  Israel  turned  away  from  him. 

And  the  children  of  Israel,  even  the  whole  congre- 
gation, journeyed  from  Kadesh  and  came  to  Mount 
Hor. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  and  Aaron  in  Mount 
Hor  by  the  coast  of  the  land  of  Edom  saying,  Let 
Aaron  be  gathered  unto  his  people,  for  he  shall  not 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSON'S  169 

enter  into  the  land  which  I  have  given  unto  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  became  ye  rebelled  against  My  word  at 
the  water  of  Meribah. 

Take  Aaron  and  Eleazar  his  son,  and  bring  them 
up  unto  Mount  Hor. 

And  strip  Aaron  of  his  garments,  and  put  them 
upon  Eleazar  his  son,  and  Aaron  shall  be  gathered 
unto  his  people,  and  shall  die  there. 

And  Moses  did  as  the  Lord  commanded,  and  they 
went  up  into  Mount  Hor  in  the  sight  of  all  the  con- 
gregation. 

And  Moses  stripped  Aaron  of  his  garments,  and  put 
them  upon  Eleazar  his  son;  and  Aaron  died  there  on 
the  top  of  the  mount,  and  Moses  and  Eieazer  came 
down  from  the  mount. 

And  when  all  the  congregation  saw  that  Aaron  was 
dead,  they  mourned  for  Aaron  thirty  days,  even  all 
the  house  of  Israel. 

And  when  King  Arad  the  Canaauite,  which  dwelt 
in  the  south,  heard  tell  that  Israel  came  by  the  way 
ofthe  spies,  then  he  fought  against  Israel,  and  took 
some  of  them  prisoners. 

And  Israel  vowed,  saying,  If  Thou  wilt,  indeed, 
deliver  this  people  into  my  hand,  then  I  will  utterly 
destroy  their  cities. 

And  He  hearkened  and  delivered  up  the  Canaanites, 
and  they  utterly  destroyed  them  and  their  cities. 

THE    BRAZEN   SERPENT. 

And  they  journeyed  from   Mt.   Hor  by  way  of  the 


170  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

Red  Sea,  to  get  round  the  land  of  Edom,  and  the  soul 
of  the  people  was  discouraged  on  the  journey. 

And  they  spoke  against  God  and  against  Moses, 
Wherefore  have  ye  brought  us  up  from  Egypt  to  die 
in  the  wilderness?  For  there  is  no  bread,  neither  is 
there  any  water,  and  our  soul  loatheth  this  light 
bread. 

And  He  sent  fiery  serpents  among  the  people  and 
they  bit  the  people  and  many  died. 

Therefore  the  people  came  to  Moses  and  said,  We 
have  sinned,  for  we  have  spoken  against  the  Lord  and 
against  thee.  Pray  unto  Him  that  He  take  the  ser- 
pents away.  And  Moses  prayed  for  the  people. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Make  thee  a  fiery 
serpent  and  set  it  upon  a  pole;  and  it  shall  come  to 
pass,  that  every  one  that  is  bitten,  when  he  shall  look 
upon  it,  shall  live. 

And  Moses  made  a  serpent  of  brass  and  set  it  on  a 
pole.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  if  a  serpent  had  bitten 
a  man,  when  he  beheld  the  brazen  serpent  he  lived. 

THE   WAR   WITH   SIHON    AND    'OG. 

And  Israel  sent  messengers  unto  Sihon,  king  of  the 
Amorites,  saying, 

Let  me  pass  through  thy  laud  ;  we  will  not  turn  into 
the  fields  or  into  the  vineyards;  we  will  not  drink 
well-water,  but  we  will  go  along  by  the  king's  high- 
way until  we  be  past  thy  borders. 

But  Sihon  would  not  suffer  it ;  he  gathered  all  his 
people,  and  advanced  against  the  Hebrews  in  the  wil- 
derness; and  he  fought  at  Jahaz. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  171 

And  Israel  smote  him  and  conquered  his  land,  and 
took  and  dwelt  in  all  the  cities  of  the  Amorites. 

And  Moses  sent  to  spy  out  Jaazer,  and  they  captured 
its  villages  and  drove  out  the  Amorites  that  were 
there. 

And  they  turned  and  went  up  by  way  of  Bashan. 
And  'Og,  king  of  Bashan,  advanced  against  them,  he 
and  all  his  people,  to  battle  at  Edrei. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Fear  him  not, 
for  I  have  delivered  him  into  thy  hand  and  all  his 
people  and  his  land.  And  thou  shalt  do  to  him  as 
thou  didst  unto  Sihon,  king  of  the  Amorites,  which 
dwelt  in  Hes-hbon. 

So  they  smote  him  and  his  people  and  possessed  his 
land. 

NOTES. 

The  high  esteem  in  which  Miriam  was  held  testifies  to 
the  honor  and  respect  paid  to  womanhood  in  Jewish  Law 
and  custom. 

Whenever  womanhood  has  been  degraded  by  Hebrews,  it 
has  been  due  to  outside  example. 

In  the  Bible,  woman  is  always  the  equal,  sometimes  the 
superior  of  man. 

Our  sages  rank  Miriam  with  Moses  and  Aaron.  As  the 
latter  taught  the  men  religion,  so  she  taught  the  women.  In 
the  public  thanksgiving-service  for  the  escape  at  the  Red 
Sea,  Miriam  led  the  women. 

Our  sages  lovingly  remark  that  Moses,  Aaron  and  Miriam 
alone  of  all  prophets  and  pious  people,  expired  as  God 
kissed  them.  They  mean  that  these  three  died  in  an  ecstasy 


If 2  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

derived  from  their  knowledge  of  God  and  their  love  for 
Him. 

The  sin  of  Moses  was  first,  that  he  lost  his  temper  and 
spoke  in  anger  to  the  people;  secondly,  he  struck  the  rock 
instead  of  speaking  to  it  as  God  commanded.  The  sin  of 
Aaron  was  that  he  stood  by  and  allowed  Moses  to  do  so. 
Those  who  stand  silently  by,  while  wrong  is  being  done,  are 
as  bad  as  those  who  do  it. 

These  sins,  when  committed  by  Moses  and  Aaron,  the 
highest  chiefs  of  the  people,  became  all  the  more  dangerous 
to  the  welfare  of  the  nation,  because  they  set  precedents  or 
examples  for  strife  and  disobedience.  The  higher  we  are  in 
position  and  the  greater  our  education,  the  more  careful  we 
must  be 

The  message  to  Edom  bears  a  strong  resemblance  to  the 
message  to  Sihon,  king  of  the  Amorites.  But  the  Hebrews 
were  not  allowed  to  attack  Edom,  first,  because  God  gave 
Edom  to  the  Edomites,  and  secondly  the  Edomites  were  not 
of  the  Canaanite  nations  destined  to  be  destroyed  for  their 
wickedness.  Possibly  some  teachings  of  Esau,  founder  of 
the  Edomite  nation,  and  brother  of  Jacob,  the  patriarch, 
yet  lingered  in  his  tribe. 

The  memory  of  Aaron  is  tenderly  treasured  as  is  that  of 
Miriam.  He  was  essentially  a  man  of  peace.  He  would 
try  to  lead  the  wayward  back  to  righteousness  by  even  per- 
sonal association. 

His  action  in  the  affair  of  the  golden  calf  was  condemned. 
But  he  was  not  directly  punished,  because  his  seeming 
acquiescence  was  only  to  delay  the  people,  in  the  hope  that 
Moses  would  meanwhile  reappear.  Moreover  he  saw  that 
the  people  had  killed  Hur,  who  had  been  left  with  him  by 
Moses  as  associate  leader,  for  resisting  their  mad  cry  for  a 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  1 73 

new  god.  If  Aaron  had  also  been  killed,  there  would  have 
been  nobody  ready  to  take  advantage  of  any  chance  to  bring 
the  people  to  their  senses.  But  God's  anger  against  Aaron 
is  of  course  recorded.  That  is  to  say  since  God  cannot  be 
angry  in  the  meaning  of  the  word  as  we  understand  it,  his 
conduct  could  not  be  reconciled  with  God's  holiness  and 
was,  therefore,  to  be  condemned  in  the  severest  terms. 

Concerning  the  brazen,  or  more  correctly,  the  copper  ser- 
pent, our  sages  are  careful  to  teach  that  it  was  not  the  mere 
looking  at  it  that  cured  those  who  had  been  bitten.  It  was 
a  test  to  prove  whether  they  had  faith  or  not  in  God,  who 
so  commanded  them  to  look  up  if  they  wanted  to  be  healed. 

The  metal  serpent  was  long  preserved.  But  King  Heze- 
kiah  broke  it  to  pieces,  as  some  of  the  people  had  begun  to 
be  superstitious  about  it  and  even  to  worship  it. 


LESSON  XXI. 

BALAK   AND   BALAAM. 

TEXT  :  ' '  The  angel  of  the  Lord  encampeth   around  those  who 
fear  Him,  and  deliverelh  them." — Psalm  xxxiv.  8. 

And  Moab  was  sore  afraid  of  the  people  because 
they  were  many,  and  Moab  was  distressed  because  of 
the  children  of  Israel. 

And  Moab  said  unto  the'elders  of  Midian,  Now  this 
company  licketh  up  all  that  are  round  about  us,  as 
the  ox  licketh  up  the  grass  of  the  field.  And  Balak 
the  son  of  Zippor  was  king  of  the  Moabites  at  that 
time. 

And  he  sent  messengers  unto  Balaam  the  son  of 
Beor,  to  Pethor,  which  is  by  the  rivfcr  of  the  land 


174  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

of  the  children  of  his  people,  to  call  him,  saying,  Be- 
hold, there  is  a  people  come  out  from  Egypt;  behold^ 
they  cover  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  they  abide  over 
against  me: 

Come  now  therefore,  I  pray  thee,  curse  me  this 
people  ;  for  they  are  too  mighty  for  me :  peradventuie 
I  shall  be  able  to  smite  them,  and  I  will  drive 
them  out  of  the  land  :  for  I  know  that  he  whom 
thou  blessest  is  blessed,  and  whom  thou  cursest  is 
cursed. 

And  the  elders  of  Moab  and  the  elders  of  Midian 
departed  with  the  rewards  of  divination  in  their  hands, 
and  they  came  unto  Balaam,  and  spake  unto  him  the 
words  of  Balak. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Lodge  here  this  night,  and 
I  will  bring  you  word  again,  as  the  Lord  shall  speak 
unto  me:  and  the  princes  of  Moab  abode  with  Balaam. 

And  God  came  unto  Balaam,  and  said.  What  men 
are  the^e  with  thee  ? 

And  Balaam  said  unto  God,  Balak  the  son  of  Zip- 
por,  king  of  Moab,  hath  sent  unto  me  saying, 

Behold,  there  is  the  people  come  out  of  Egypt, and  it 
covereth  the  face  of  the  earth :  come  now,  curse  me 
it;  peradventure  I  shall  be  able  to  overcome  them,  and 
drive  it  out. 

And  God  said  unto  Balaam,  Thou  shalt  not  go  with 
them,  thou  shalt  not  curse  the  people,  for  they  are 
blessed. 

And  Balaam  rose  up  in  the  morning  and  said  tc 
the  officers  of  Balak,  Go  to  your  country,  -for  the 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL   LESSONS  175 

Lord  refuseth  to  give  me  permission  to  go  with  you. 
And  they  did  so. 

And  Balak  again  sent  nobles,  more,  and  more  honor- 
able than  they. 

And  they  said  to  him,  Thus  saith  Balak,  son  of 
Zippor:  Be  not  restrained  from  coming  to  me.  For 
I  will  indeed  honor  thee,  and  all  that  thou  sayest  to 
me  I  will  do ;  come  now  and  curse  for  me  this  people. 

And  Balaam  answered,  Were  Balak  to  give  me  his 
house  full  of  silver  and  gold,  I  could  not  transgress 
the  word  of  the  Lord  my  God  to  do  anything  unim- 
portant or  important.  And  now,  abide  here  to-night; 
and  I  will  know  what  the  Lord  will  continue  to  say 
to  me. 

*And  God  came  to  Balaam  in  the  night  and  said  to 
him,  If  the  men  have  come  to  call  thee,  arise,  go  with 
them,  and  only  the  thing  which  I  say  to  thee,  that  do. 

And  Balaam  arose  in  the  morning  and  saddled  his 
ass,  and  went  with  the  nobles  of  Moab. 

And  God's  anger  was  kindled  because  he  went,  and 
a  messenger  of  God  stood  in  the  way  to  hinder  him  ; 
and  he  was  riding  on  his  ass,  and  his  two  young  men 
with  him. 

And  the  ass  saw  the  messenger  standing  in  the  path 
and  his  drawn  sword  in  his  hand;  and  the  ass  turned 
from  the  path  and  went  in  the  field.  And  Balaam 
struck  the  ass  to  turn  her  in  the  way. 

And  the  messenger  stood  in  the  lane  between  the 
vineyard,  a  fence  on  both  sides.  And  the  ass  saw  the 
messenger  and  crouched  by  the  wall,  and 


176  SUNDAY    SCHOOL     LESSONS 

Balaam's  foot  against  the  wall  ;  and  he  again  struck 
her. 

And  the  messenger  continued  to  pass,  and  he  stood 
in  a  narrow  place,  where  there  was  no  place  to  turn  to 
the  right  or  left. 

And  the  ass  saw  the  messenger  and  crouched  under 
Balaam.  And  Balaam  was  angry,  and  struck  the  ass 
with  a  staGF. 

And  the  Lord  opened  the  in^uth  of  the  ass  and  she 
said  to  Balaam,  What  have  I  done  to  thee  that  thou 
hast  smitten  me  thus  three  times? 

And  he  said  to  the  a>s,  Because  thou  hast  been 
obstinate  against  me.  Would  there  were  a  sword  in 
my  hand,  for  now  would  I  slay  thee. 

And  the  ass  said,  Am  I  not  thy  ass,  on  which  thou 
hast  ridden  from  when  thou  hadst  me  until  this  day? 
Was  I  ever  wont  to  do  so  to  thee?  and  he  said,  No. 

And  the  Lord  opened  Balaam's  eyes,  and  he  saw 
the  messenger  standing  in  the  path  with  drawn  sword 
in  his  hand,  and  he  bowed  and  worshiped. 

And  the  messenger  said,  Wherefore  hast  thou  struck 
thy  ass  these  three  times?  Behold,  I  came  forth  to 
hinder  thee,  for  the  way  is  perverse  before  me. 

And  the  ass  saw  me  and  turned  aside  these  three 
times :  if  she  had  not  turned  from  me,  then  now  I 
would  have  slain  thee  and  kept  her  alive. 

And  Balaam  said,  I  have  sinned.  I  knew  not  that 
thou  stoodest  to  meet  me.  And  now  if  it  is  wrong  in 
thine  eyes,  I  will  return! 

And  tha  messenger  said,  Go  with  these  men,  but 
only  the  thing  which  I  say  to  thee,  that  do.* 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  1 77 

And  Balaam  went  with  the  nobles  of  Balak. 

And  Balak  heard  he  was  coming  and  went  to  meet 
him,  and  said,  Did  I  not  indeed  send  to  thee  to  call 
thee  ?  why  didst  thou  not  come  to  me :  verily,  could 
I  not  honor  thee  ? 

And  Balaam  said,  Behold  I  have  come,  aud  now 
can  I  say  anything?  The  word  which  God  putteth  in 
my  mouth,  that  I  must  speak. 

And  they  went  to  Kiryath  Hutzoth.  And  Balak 
sacrificed,  and  sent  for  Balaam  and  the  nobles  with 
him. 

And  in  the  morning  he  took  Balaam  on  the  high 
places  of  Baal,  and  he  saw  thence  a  part  of  the 
people. 

And  Balaam  said,  Build  here  seven  altars,  and  pre- 
pare seven  bullocks  and  seven  rams.  And  he  did  so, 
and  they  offered  a  bullock  aud  a  ram. 

And  Balaam  said  to  Balak,  Stand  by  thy  sacrifice  : 
I  will  go ;  perhaps  God  will  chance  to  meet  me,  and 
what  word  He  showeth  me  I  will. tell  thee.  And  he 
went  meditating. 

And  he  said  to  God,  I  have  prepared  the  seven 
altars  and  offered  a  ram  aud  a  bullock.  And  the  Lord 
put  the  word  in  his  mouth,  and  said,  Return  to  Balak 
and  thus  speak. 

Aud  he  returned  to  him,  and,  behold,  he  was  stand- 
ing by  his  sacrifice,  he  and  all  the  nobles  of  Moab. 

And  he  took  up  his  parable  and  said,  From  Aram 
did  Balak,  king  of  Moab,  lead  me,  from  the  moun- 
tains of  the  east:  come,  curse  for  me  Jacob,  and  come, 
contemn  Israel. 


178  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

How  can  I  curse  whom  God  hath  not  cursed  ?  and 
how  can  I  contemn  whom  the  Lord  hath  not  con- 
temned ? 

From  the  crests  of  the  rocks  I  see  Him,  and  from 
the  hills  do  I  behold  him.  Behold,  the  people  dwelleth 
alone,  and  doth  not  count  itself  among  the  nations. 

Who  can  count  the  dust  of  Jacob  and  the  number — 
even  a  fourth  of  Israel  ?  O  may  my  soul  die  the  death 
of  the  righteous,  and  may  my  end  be  like  his? 

And  Balak  said,  What  hast  thou  done  ?  I  fetched 
thee  to  curse  my  enemies,  and,  behold,  thou  hast  em- 
phatically blessed  them  ! 

And  he  answered  and  said,  Is  it  not  that  which  God 
putteth  in  my  mouth,  that  I  must  heed  to  speak? 

And  Balak  said,  Come  to  a  place  whence  thou  canst 
see  only  a  part  and  not  all  (the  camp),  and  curse  him 
for  me  thence. 

And  he  took  him  to  the  top  of  Pisgah.  And  he 
built  seven  altars  and  offered  a  bullock  and  a  ram. 

And  he  said  to  Balak,   Stand  here  by  thy  sacrifice 
"and  I  will  be  met  there. 

And  the  Lord  met  Balaam  and  put  a  word  in  his 
mouth,  and  said,  Return  to  Balak  and  thus  speak. 

And  he  came  to  him,  and,  behold,  he  stood  by  his 
offering,  aiid  the  princes  of  Moab  with  him.  And 
Balak  said,  What  hath  the  Lord  said? 

And  he  took  up  his  parable  and  said,  Arise,  Balak, 
and  hear ;  give  ear  to  me,  O  son  of  Zippor.  God  is 
not  a  rnan  that  he  should  lie,  or  a  human  being  that 
He  should  repent  Himself.  Hath  He  not  said,  and 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  179 

shall  it  not  be  done?  Hath  He  not  spoken,  and  shall 
it  not  be  established  ? 

Behold,  to  bless  I  am  possessed ;  and  He  hath 
blessed,  and  I  cannot  reverse  it. 

He  hath  not  beheld  iniquity  in  Jacob,  nor  hath 
he  seen  guile  in  Israel.  The  Lord  his  God  is  with 
him,  and  the  acclamation  of  king  is  with  him. 

For  there  is  no  divination  in  Jacob  and  no  enchant- 
ment in  Israel :  when  it  is  time  it  shall  be  said  to 
Jacob  and  to  Israel,  What  God  hath  wrought ! 

Behold,  a  people  shall  rise  like  a  strong  lion,  and 
as  a  young  lion  shall  it  raise  itself;  it  shall  not  lie 
down  until  it  hath  consumed  prey  and  it  shall  drink 
the  blood  of  slain. 

And  Balak  said,  If  thou  wilt  not  curse  them,  do  not 
bless  them. 

And  Balaam  answered,  Have  I  not  told  thee,  all 
that  God  saith,  that  must  I  do? 

And  Balak  said,  Come,  let  me  take  thee  to  another 
place;  perhaps  it  will  be  right  in  God's  eyes,  and 
thou  mayest  curse  them  for  me  thence.  And  he  took 
him  to  Peor,  opposite  the  desert.  And  Balaam  said, 
Build  seven  altars  and  prepare  seven  bullocks  and 
seven  rams.  And  Balak  did  so,  and  offered  a  bullock 
and  a  ram. 

And  Balaam  saw  that  it  was  good  in  God's  eyes  to 
bless  Israel :  and  he  went  not  as  before  to  seek  en- 
chantment. 

1  And  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  and  saw  Israel  dwelling 
by  his  tribes,  and  the  spirit  of  God  came  upon  him. 

And  he  took  up  his  parable  and  said ; 


l8o  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

Thus  saith  Balaam  son  of  Beor,  the  man  endowed 
with  mental  vision,  who  heareth  God's  words,  and 
seeth,  entranced,  the  vision  of  the  Almighty. 

How  goodly  are  thy  tents,  O  Jacob!  and  thy  dwell- 
ings, O  Israel ! 

They  stretch  like  streams,  like  gardens  by  the 
brook-side, — like  aloes  of  God's  planting,  like  cedars 
by  the  waters. 

God  brought  him  forth  from  Egypt— he  consumeth 
nations  his  enemies.  He  croucheth,  he  lieth  down  like 
a  strong  lion,  and  as  a  young  lion  who  dare  rouse 
him  ?  Blessed  are  they  that  bless  thee,  and  blighted 
are  they  who  would  blight  thee  ! 

And  Balak  was  angry  with  Balaam,  and  clapped 
his  hands  (in  anger)  and  said,  I  called  thee  to  curse  my 
enemies,  and,  behold,  thou  hast  emphatically  blessed 
them  three  times.  Now,  flee  to  thy  place.  I  said  I 
would  honor  thee  ;  but,  behold,  the  Lord  withholdeth 
thee  from  honor. 

And  Balaam  spake  to  the  messenger,  and  said, 
Were  Balak  to  give  me  his  house  full  of  silver  and 
gold,  I  could  not  transgress  the  word  of  the  Lord  to 
do  good  or  evil  from  my  heart.  What  the  Lord  saith, 
that  I  must  speak. 

And  now,  behold,  I  go  to  my  people  :  come,  let  me 
advise  thee  what  this  people  will  do  to  thy  people  in 
later  days. 

And  he  took  up  his  parable  and  said  : 

I  see  him  but  not  now  ;  I  behold  him  but  not  nigh; 
there  steppeth  forth  a  star  out  of  Jacob  and  there  aris- 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  l8l 

eth  a  sceptre  out  of  Israel,  and  he  pierceth  the  chiefs 
of  Moab  and  destroyeth  all  the  children  of  Seth. 

And  Edom  shall  be  a  conquest,  and  Seir  for  his  en- 
emies, aud  Israel  shall  do  valiantly. 

And  one  from  Jacob  shall  rule,  and  he  will  destroy 
whatever  escapeth  from  the  city. 

NOTES. 

The  verses  between  the  two  asterisks  are  all  in  Balaam's 
dream.  Balaam  evidently  wished  to  accept  Balak's  invita- 
tion for  the  sake  of  promised  rewards,  despite  God's  prohi- 
bition in  his  first  vision.  What  occurred  in  his  second  vision 
effectually  reduced  Balaam  to  submission  to  God,  to  whose 
will  he  had  to  subject  his  own  desire, If  it  was  not  a  dream, 
Ittt  would  have  been  impossible  for  Balaam  to  have  acted 
as  he  did;  for  the  ass  to  speak  and  injure  his  foot;  for 
Balaam  to  fall  prostrate  before  the  messenger,  without  the 
"two  young  men"  who  were  with  him  noticing  it,  even  if 
the  messenger  himself  was  invisible.  If  Balaam's  foot  was 
injured,  he  could  not  each  time  have  walked  away 
while  leaving  Balak  by  the  altars.  If  the  nobles  of 
Moab  had  witnessed  anything  supernatural,  they  would  have 
told  Balak,  who  would  probably  have  taken  the  hint,  dis- 
missed Balaam,  and  accepted  the  inevitable.  Certainly, 
Balak  would  not  have  attempted  to  carry  out  his  will  so 
strenuously  in  the  face  of  other  evidence  than  Balaam's 
ecstatic  utterances. 

The  "  spirit  of  God  "  resting  on  Balaam  means  that  he 
was  inspired  or  subjected  to  psychical  influence  from  God 
which  forced  him  to  speak. 


l82  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

LESSON  XXII. 

THE  APPOINTMENT  OF  JOSHUA   AS   LEADER. 

m*fe4(/ 

TEXT:  "The  Lord  is  righteous  in  all  His  ways  and  SMMMW  in 
all  His  doings." — Ps.  cxlv. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Get  thee  up  unto 
this  Mount  Abarim,  and  see  the  land  which  I  have 
given  unto  the  children  of  Israel. 

And  when  thou  hast  seen  it,  thou  also  shalt  be 
gathered  unto  thy  people,  as  Aaron  thy  brother  was 
gathered. 

For  ye  rebelled  against  My  commandment  in  the 
desert  of  Zin,  in  the  strife  of  the  congregation,  to 
sanctify  Me  at  the  water  before  their  eyes  (that  is 
the  water  of  Meribah  in  Kadesh,  in  the  wilderness  of 
Ziu). 

And  Moses  spake  unto  the  Lord  saying, 

Let  the  Lord,  the  God  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh,  set 
a  man  over  the  congregation  which  may  go  out  before 
them,  and  which  may  go  in  before  them,  and  which 
may  lead  them  out,  and  which  may  bring  them  in, 
that  the  congregation  of  the  Lord  be  not  as  sheep 
which  have  no  shepherd. 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Take  thee  Joshua 
the  son  of  Nun,  a  man  in  whom  is  the  spirit,  and  lay 
thine  hand  upon  him. 

And  set  him  before  Eleazar  the  priest,  and  before 
all  the  congregation,  and  give  him  a  charge  in  their 
sight. 

And  thou  shalt  put  some  of  thine  honor  upon  him, 
that  all  the  congregation  of  the  children  of  Israel 
may  be  obedient. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL   LESSONS  183 

And  he  shall  stand  before  Eleazar  the  priest,  who  shall 
ask  counsel  for  him  after  the  judgment  of  the  Urim 
before  the  Lord;  at  his  word  shall  they  go  out,  and  at 
his  word  shall  they  come  in,  both  he  and  all  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  with  him,  even  all  the  congregation. 

And  Moses  did  as  the  Lord  commanded  him,  and 
he  took  Joshua,  and  set  him  before  Eleazar  the  priest> 
and  before  all  the  congregation. 

THE   TWO  AND   A    HALF   TRIBES. 

Now  the  children  of  Reubeu  and  the  children  of 
Gad  had  a  very  great  multitude  of  cattle,  and  they 
saw  the  land  of  Jaazer  and  the  land  of  Gilead,  and 
behold,  the  place  was  a  place  for  cattle. 

Wherefore  said  they,  If  we  have  found  grace  in  thy 
sight,  let  this  laud  be  given  unto  thy  servants  for  a 
possession,  and  bring  us  not  over  Jordan. 

And  Moses  said  unto  them,  Shall  your  brethren  go 
to  war,  and  shall  ye  sit  here  ? 

Wherefore  discourage  ye  the  heart  of  the  children 
of  Israel  from  going  over  into  the  land  which  the 
Lord  hath  given  them? 

Thus  did  your  fathers  when  I  sent  them  from 
Kadesh-Barnea  to  see  the  land. 

For  when  they  went  up  into  the  valley  of  Eschol 
and  saw  the  land,  they  discouraged  the  heart  of  the 
children  of  Israel  that  they  should  not  go  into  the 
land  which  the  Lord  had  given  them. 

And  the  Lord's  anger  was  kindled  at  that  time,  and 
He  declared,  saying,  Surely  none  of  the  men  that  came 


1 84  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

up  out  of  Egypt,  from  twenty  years  old  and  upward, 
shall  see  the  land  which  I  promised  unto  Abraham, 
unto  Isaac,  and  unto  Jacob,  because  they  have  not 
wholly  followed  Me. 

Save  Caleb  the  son  of  Jephunneh,  the  Keuizzite,  and 
Joshua  the  sou  of  Nun,  for  they  have  wholly  fol- 
lowed the  Lord. 

And  the  Lord's  anger  was  kindled  against  Israel, 
and  He  made  them  wander  in  the  wilderness  forty 
years,  until  all  the  generation  that  had  done  evil  in 
the  sight  of  the  Lord  was  consumed. 

And,  behold,  ye  are  risen  in  your  fathers'  stead,  an 
increase  of  sinful  men,  to  increase  yet  the  fierce  anger 
of  the  Lord  toward  Israel. 

For  if  ye  turn  away  from  after  Him,  He  will  yet 
again  leave  them  in  the  wilderness,  and  ye  will  de- 
stroy all  this  people. 

And  they  came  near  unto  him  and  said,  We  will 
build  sheep-folds  here  for  our  cattle  and  cities  for  our 
little  ones. 

But  we  ourselves  will  go  ready  armed  before  the 
children  of  Israel,  until  we  will  have  brought  them 
unto  their  place;  and  our  little  ones  shall  dwell  in  the 
fenced  cities,  because  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  land. 

We  will  not  return  unto  our  houses  until  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  will  have  inherited  every  one  his  in- 
heritance. 

For  we  will  not  inherit  with  them  on  yonder  side 
Jordan  or  forward,  because  our  inheritance  will  have 
fallen  to  us  on  this  side  Jordan,  eastward. 


SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS  185 

And  Moses  said,  If  ye  will  indeed  do  so,  this  country 
shall  be  to  you  a  posssession. 

But  if  ye  will  not  do  so,  behold  ye  sin  against  the 
Lord,  and  be  sure  your  sin  will  find  you  out. 

Build  you  cities  for  your  little  ones,  and  folds  for 
your  sheep,  and  do  that  which  hath  proceeded  out  of 
your  mouth.  And  they  said,  Thy  servants  will  do  so. 
Our  wives,  herd  and  cattle  will  be  there  in  the  cities 
of  Gilead  and  we  thy  servants  will  pass  forward  armed 
for  battle. 

And  Moses  commanded  Eleazar,  the  high-priest, 
Joshua,  son  of  Nun,  and  the  heads  of  the  chiefs  of  the 
tribes,  saying,  If  the  children  of  Gad  and  the  children 
of  Reuben  pass  the  Jordan  armed  for  battle  and  the 
land  is  subdued  before  them,  then  ye  shall  give  them 
the  land  of  Gilead  for  a  possession. 

If  not,  let  them  be  assigned  possessions  in  your 
midst,  in  the  land  of  Canaan. 

And  the  children  of  Gad  and  of  Reuben  repeated 
their  promise. 

And  Moses  gave  to  them  and  to  the  half  tribe  of  Me- 
nasseh,  son  of  Joseph,  the  kingdoms  of  Sihon,  king  of 
the  Amorites,  and  Og,  king  of  Bashan. 

NOTES. 

The  time  was  approaching  for  Moses  to  die.  For  the 
forty  years  decreed  for  the  desert-wandering  were  nearly 
over,  and  Moses  was  not  to  enter  Palestine  for  the  reason 
stated  in  the  text. 

To   many   of  us  it  happens  that  we  are  not  allowed  to 


1 86  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

reap  the  results  of  our  life-work.  At  most,  we  some- 
times see  its  fulfilment  within  sight.  Moses' life-work  had 
been  to  rescue  Israel,  educate  him  and  establish  him  in 
Palestine.  He  could  not  complete  it,  but  its  fulfilment  was 
within  sight.  As  with  Moses,  so  with  us:  it  is  our  own 
fault  usually  if  we  do  not  see  the  complete  fulfilment  of 
our  efforts. 

True  to  his  love  for  his  flock,  however,  he  begs  God  to 
appoint  a  successor.  Let  us  observe  that,  in  doing  so,  he 
does  not  appeal  to  God  as  the  God  of  the  Hebrews,  as  he 
was  told  to  do  when  pleading  in  His  name  before  Pharaoh^ 
but  as  God  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh.  From  this  we  learn 
that  our  God  is  the  God  of  all  mankind.  He  is  Father  of  all 
of  us,  Jew  or  Gentile.  He  is  the  universal  Lord,  and  not  a 
tribal  God  or  a  God  of  one  people  only.  This  teaching  of 
Moses,  the  first  of  our  great  prophets,  is  the  constant  theme 
of  all,  and  is  one  of  the  last  declarations  of  our  prophets,  as 
voiced  by  Malachi. 

Thus  Israel's  mission  is  a  spiritual  one.  The  Hebrews 
were  on  the  threshold  of  Palestine  about  to  enter  it.  They 
were  to  establish  a  republic  so  influenced  by  religion  for 
Love,  Justice  and  Purity,  that  they  would  attract  all  nations 
by  their  example  and  convert  them  to  their  religion  by 
the  evidence  of  its  beauty  and  its  power  to  fill  life  with 
happiness. 

Israel's  mission  was,  therefore,  to  be  the  spiritual  guide 
for  all  mankind.  Hence  it  was  most  appropriate  for  Moses 
when  he  was  asking  for  some  one  to  succeed  him  as  leader 
of  Israel,  to  address  God  as  the  "God  of  the  spirits  of  all 
flesh." 

Joshua  was  chosen  as  a  man  "in  whom  there  was  spirit," 
the  right  spirit.  He  had  shown  this  by  his  skill  as  a  warrior, 


'  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  187 

(Exod.  xvii),  by  his  solicitude  for  his  people  (Exod.  xxxii. 
17),  by  his  modesty  and  force  of  character  on  that  occasion; 
(Exod.  xxiii,  n),  by  his  zeal  for  Moses*  honor  as  the 
inspired  of  God,  above  all,  by  his  zeal  for  the  respect  due  to 
Divine  Inspiration  (Num.  xi.  28);  and  by  his  manly  and 
noble  words,  in  defiance  of  the  majority  against  him,  when 
he  stood  up  for  God  and  the  right  (Num.  xiv.  6). 

The  placing  or  imposition  of  hand  upon  a  man,  called 
Semicha  (from  the  Hebrew  word  Samach)  is  to-day  some- 
times performed  by  Rabbis  who  have  themselves  received 
it,  when  they  appoint  new  Rabbis. 

By  a  public  appointment  of  Joshua,  there  could  be  no 
dispute  after  Moses*  death  as  to  who  was  to  be  his  successor. 
This  ensured  the  loyalty  of  the  Hebrews  to  Joshua.  On 
the  other  hand,  he  was  as  publicly  told  his  duty  to  them. 
For  Moses  was  bidden  to  "give  him  a  charge,"  which  meant 
command  or  commission. 

The  meaning  of  the  Urim  is  variously  explained.  It  is 
probably  connected  with  the  spiritual  light  or  spiritual  en- 
lightenment which  the  mortal  being  can  obtain  when  he 
succeeds  in  placing  himself  in  spiritual  communion  with  the 
God  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh. 

Urim  is  from  the  word  Ur,  light  or  fire,  and  was  the 
name  applied  to  one  of  the  two  great  stones  of  the  breast- 
plate over  the  heart  of  the  priest.  The  other  was  called 
Thummim  or  Perfection. 

In  the  episode  of  the  two  and  a  half  tribes  settling  east 
of  the  river  Jordan,  Moses  remarks  to  them  in  the  event  of 
their  not  keeping  their  word  and  doing  their  duty  :  "your 
sins  will  find  you  out." 

If  we  sin  once  we  are  likely  to  sin  again.  Each  time  it 
becomes  easier,  for  we  hesitate  less  each  time,  But  in  the 


1 88  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

end  we  must  be  found  out.  Making  inexact  excuses  leads 
to  making  false  excuses.  This  leads  to  direct  falsehood  and 
loss  of  self-respect.  But  some  day  it  must  be  found  out, 
and  then  we  lose  the  respect  of  others.  So  laziness, 
untidiness,  selfishness,  all  grow  upon  us;  but  sooner  or 
later  we  will  assuredly  suffer  for  it  by  only  half-living  our 
lives  for  usefulness  and  consequently  gaining  only  half  the 
happiness  we  might  otherwise  enjoy. 

Our  sins  find  us  out,  whether  they  are  sins  of  character 
or  sins  against  our  health. 

Any  departure  from  Judaism's  three  teachings,  Love, 
Justice,  Purity,  is  a  sin,  and  unless  watched  and  corrected, 
will  bring  us  sorrow,  regret,  suffering  or  loss,  and  thus 
our  sins  will  find  us  out! 


LESSON  XXIII. 

RELIGION  AS  MOSES  PREACHED  IT. 
MAN'S   DUTY  TO  HIS  GOD. 

TEXT:  "The  Lord  loveth  thee"  (Deut   vii,  8). 

Now  therefore  hearken,  O  Israel,  unto  the  statutes 
and  unto  the  judgments  which  I  teach  you,  to  do 
them,  that  ye  may  live,  and  go  in  to  possess  the 
land  which  the  Lord  God  of  your  fathers  giveth  you. 

Ye  shall  not  add  unto  the  word  which  I  command 
you,  neither  shall  ye  diminish  aught  from  it,  that  ye 
may  keep  the  commandments  of  the  Lord  your  God 
which  I  command  you. 

Your  eyes  have  seen  what  the  Lord  did  because  of 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  189 

Baal-peor,  for  all  the  men  that  followed  Baal-peor  the 
Lord  thy  God  hath  destroyed  them  from  among  you. 

But  ye  that  did  cleave  unto  the  Lord  your  God,  are 
alive  every  one  of  you  this  day. 

Behold  I  have  taught  you  statutes  and  judgments, 
even  as  the  Lord  my  God  commanded  me,  that  ye 
should  do  so  in  the  land  whither  ye  go  to  possess  it. 

Keep  therefore  and  do  them,  for  this  is  your  wis- 
dom and  your  understanding  in  the  sight  of  the  Gen- 
tiles which  shall  hear  all  these  statutes,  and  shall  say. 
Surely  this  great  nation  is  a  wise  and  understanding 
people. 

For  what  nation  is  there  so  great,  that  hath  statutes 
and  judgments  so  righteous  as  all  this  law,  which  I 
set  before  you  this  day  ? 

Only  take  heed  to  thyself,  and  keep  thy  soul  dili- 
gently, lest  thou  forget  the  things  which  thine  eyes 
have  seen,  and  lest  they  depart  from  thy  heart  all  the 
days  of  thy  life,  but  teach  them  thy  sons,  and  thy 
sons'  sons. 

Specially  the  day  that  thou  stoodest  before  the  Lord 
thy  God  in  Horeb,  when  the  Lord  said  unto  me, 
Gather  Me  the  people  together,  and  I  will  make6 them 
hear  My  words,  that  they  may  learn  to  fear  Me,  all 
the  days  that  they  shall  live  upon  the  earth,  and  that 
they  may  teach  their  children. 

And  ye  came  near  and  stood  under  the  mountain 
and  the  mountain  burned  with  fire  unto  the  midst  of 
heaven,  with  darkness,  clouds,  and  thick  darkness. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  you  out  of  the  midst  of 


190  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

the  fire,  ye  heard  the  sound  of  the  words,  but  ye  saw 
no  similitude,  only  ye  heard  a  sound. 

And  He  declared  unto,  you  His  covenant,  which  He 
commanded  you  to  perform,  even  ten  commandments 
(declarations),  and  He  wrote  them  upon  two  tablets  of 
stone. 

And  the  Lord  commanded  me  at  that  time  to  teach 
you  statutes  and  judgments  that  ye  might  do  them  in 
the  land,  whither  ye  go  to  possess  it. 

Take  ye  therefore  good  heed  unlo  yourselves,  for 
ye  saw  no  manner  of  similitude  on  the  day  that  the 
Lord  spake  unto  you  in  Horeb,  out  of  the  midst  of  the 
fire. 

Lest  ye  corrupt  yourselves,  and  make  you  a  graven 
image,  the  similitude  of  any  figure,  a  likeness  of  male 
or  female. 

The  likeness  of  any  beast  that  is  on  the  earth,  the 
likeness  of  any  winged  fowl  that  flieth  in  the  air. 

The  likeness  of  anything  that  creepeth  upon  the 
ground,  the  likeness  of  any  fish  that  is  in  the  waters 
beneath  the  earth. 

And  lest  thou  lift  up  thine  eyes  unto  heaven,  and 
when  thou  seest  the  sun  and  the  moon  and  the  stars, 
even  all  the  host  of  heaven,  shouldst  be  driven  to 
worship  them  and  serve  them,  which  the  Lord  thy 
God  hath  divided  unto  all  nations  under  the  whole 
heaven. 

But  the  Lord  hath  taken  you,  and  brought  you  forth 
out  of  the  iron  furnace,  even  out  of  Egypt,  to  be  unto 
Him  a  people  of  inheritance  as  ye  are  this  day. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL  LESSONS  191 

Furthermore  the  Lord  was  angry  with  me  for  your 
sakes,  and  declared  I  should  not  go  over  Jordan, 
arid  that  I  should  not  go  in  unto  that  good  land, 
which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee  for  an  inherit- 
ance. 

But  I  must  die  in  the  land,  I  must  not  go  over  Jor- 
dan, but  ye  shall  go  over  and  possess  the  land. 

Take  heed  unto  yourselves  lest  ye  forget  the  cove- 
nant of  the  Lord  your  God  which  He  made  with  you, 
and  make  you  a  graven  image  or  the  likeness  of  any- 
thing which  the  Lord  thy  God  hath  forbidden  thee. 

For  the  Lord  thy  God  is  a  consuming  fire,  even  a 
zealous  God. 

When  thou  shalt  beget  children,  and  children's 
children,  and  ye  shall  have  remained  long  in  the  land, 
and  shall  corrupt  yourselves,  and  make  a  graven 
image  or  the  likeness  of  anything,  and  shall  do  evil 
in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  thy  God  to  provoke  Him  to 
anger. 

I  call  heaven  and  earMi  to  witness  against  you  this 
day.  that  ye  shall  utterly  perish  from  off  the  land 
whereunto  ye  go  over  Jordan  to  possess  it,  ye  shall 
not  prolong  your  days  upon  it,  but  shall  utterly  be 
destroyed. 

And  the  Lord  shall  scatter  you  among  the  nations, 
and  ye  shall  be  left  few  in  numbers  among  the  gentiles, 
whither  the  Lord  shall  lead  you. 

And  there  ye  shall  serve  gods,  the  work  of  men's 
hands,  wood  and  stone,  which  neither  see  nor  hear, 
nor  eat,  nor  smell. 


1 92  SUNDAY   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

But  if  from  thence  thou  shalt  seek  the  Lord'  thy 
God,  thou  shall  find  Him,  if  thou  seek  Him  with  all 
thy  heart  and  with  all  thy  soul. 

When  thou  art  in  trouble  and  all  these  things  are 
come  upon  thee,  even  in  the  latter  days,  if  thou  turn 
to  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  shall  be  obedient  unto  His 
voice. 

For  the  Lord  thy  God  is  a  merciful  God,  He  will 
not  forsake  thee,  neither  destroy  thee  nor  forget  the 
covenant  of  thy  fathers,  which  He  promised  unto  them. 

For  ask  now  of  the  days  that  are  past,  which  were 
before  thee,  since  the  day  that  God  created  man  upon 
the  earth,  and  ask  from  the  one  side  of  heaven  unto 
the  other,  whether  there  hath  been  any  such  thing  as 
this  great  thing  is,  or  hath  been  heard  like  it. 

Did  ever  people  hear  the  voice  of  God,  speaking 
out  of  the  midst  of  the  fire  as  thou  hast  heard,  and 
live  ? 

Or  hath  God  assayed  to  go  and  take  a  nation  from 
the  midst  of  another  nation  by  trials,  by  signs  and  by 
wonders,  and  by  war,  and  by  a  mighty  hand,  and  by 
a  stretched-out  arm,  and  by  great  ter-rors,  according 
to  all  that  the  Lord  your  God  did  for  you  in  Egypt 
before  your  eyes  ? 

Thou  hast  been  enlightened  to  know  that  the  Lord 
He  is  God,  there  is  none  else  beside  Him. 

Out  of  Heaven  He  made  thee  to  hear  His  voice, 
that  He  might  instruct  thee,  and  upon  earth  He 
showed  thee  His  great,  fire,  and  thou  heardest  His 
words  out  of  the  midst  of  the  fire. 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  195 

And  because  He  loved  thy  fathers,  therefore  He 
chose  their  seed  after  them,  and  brought  thee  out  in 
His  sight  with  His  mighty  power  out  of  Egypt. 

To  drive  out  nations  from  before  thee,  greater 
and  mightier  than  thou  art,  to  bring  thee  in,  to 
give  thee  their  land  for  an  inheritance,  as  it  is  this 
day. 

Know,  therefore,  this  day  and  consider  it  in  thine 
heart,  that  the  Lord  He  is  God,  in  heaven  above  and 
upon  the  earth  beneath,  there  is  none  other. 

Ye  shall  diligently  keep  the  commandments  of  the 
Lord  your  God,  and  His  testimonies,  and  His  statutes^ 
which  He  hath  commanded  thee. 

And  thou  shalt  do  that  which  is  right  and  good  in 
the  sight  of  the  Lord,  that  it  may  be  well  with  thee, 
and  that  thou  mayest  go  in  and  possess  the  good  land 
which  the  Lord  promised  unto  thy  fathers, 

To  cast  out  all  thine  enemies  from  before  thee,  as 
the  Lord  hath  spoken. 

And  when  thy  son  asketh  thee  in  time  to  come  say- 
ing, What  mean  the  testimonies  and  the  statutes  and 
the  judgments,  which  the  Lord  our  God  hath  com- 
mauded  you. 

Then  thou  shalt  say  unto  thy  son,  We  were  Phar- 
aoh's bondmen  in  Egypt,  and  the  Lord  brought  us 
out  of  Egypt  with  a  mighty  hand. 

And  the  Lord  showed  signs  and  wonders,  great  and 
soie,  upon  Egypt,  upon  Pharaoh,  and  upon  all  his 
household  before  our  eyes. 

And  He  brought  us  out  from  thence,  that  He  might 


IQ4  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

bring  us  in  to  give  us  the  land  which  He  promised 
unto  our  fathers. 

The  Lord  commanded  us  to  do  all  these  statutes,  to 
reverence  the  Lord  our  God,  for  our  happiness  always, 
that  He  might  preserve  us  alive  as  it  is  this  day. 

And  it  shall  be  our  righteousness  if  we  observe  to 
do  all  these  commandments  before  the  Lord  our  God 
as  He  hath  commanded  us. 

When  the  Lord  thy  God  shall  bring  thee  into  the 
land  whither  thou  goest  to  possess  it,  and  hath  cast 
out  manv  nations  from  before  thee,  the  Hittites,  and 
the  Girgashites,  and  the  Amorites,  and  the  Canaanites, 
and  the  Perizzites,  and  the  Hivites,  and  the  Jebusites, 
seven  nations  greater  and  mightier  than  thou. 

And  when  the  Lord  thy  God  shall  deliver  them 
before  thee,  thou  shalt  smite  them  and  utterly  destroy 
them,  thou  shalt  make  no  covenant  with  them  nor 
show  grace  unto  them. 

Neither  shalt  thou  make  marriages  with  them,  thy 
daughter  thou  shalt  not  give  unto  his  son,  nor  his 
daughter  shalt  thou  not  take  unto  thy  son. 

For  they  will  turn  away  thy  son  from  following 
me  that  they  may  serve  other  gods,  so  will  the  anger 
of  the  Lord  be  kindled  against  you,  and  destroy  thee 
suddenl  . 

But  thus  shall  ye  deal  with  them,  ye  shall  destroy 
their  altars,  and  break  down  their  images,  and  cut 
down  their  groves,  and  burn  their  graven  images 
with  fire. 

For  thou  art  an  holy  people  unto  the  Lord  thy  God: 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  195 

the  Lord  thy  God  hath  chosen  thee  to  be  a  special 
people  unto  Himself,  above  all  peoples  that  are  upon 
the  face  of  the  earth. 

The  Lord  did  not  set  His  love  upon  you,  nor  choose 
you  because  ye  were  more  in  number  than  any  people, 
for  ye  were  the  fewest  of  all  people. 

But  because  the  Lord  loveth  you,  and  because  He 
would  keep  the  promise  which  He  had  promised  unto 
your  fathers,  hath  the  Lord  brought  you  out  with  a 
mighty  hand  and  redeemed  you  out  of  the  house  of 
bondmen,  from  the  hand  of  Pharaoh,  king  of  Egypt. 

NOTES. 

We  have  here  a  statement  of  the  relations  between  God 
and  Israel. 

God  has  chosen  the  Hebrews,  because  He  loved  the 
patriarchs,  and  because  "  He  loves  Israel,"  to  take  them 
into  Palestine  where  they  are  to  observe  the  Law  He  gave 
them.  This  Law,  Moses  declares,  is  the  source  of  "  their 
wisdom  and  understanding  in  the  eyes  of  the  Gentiles  '' 
who  will  admire  its  excellence  and  who  will  concede  their 
spiritual  superiority.  The  admiration  would  naturally  be 
followed  by  imitation;  and  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles, 
by  conviction  instead  of  by  force,  would  have  been  the 
result.  This  would  be  the  fulfilment  of  the  mission  of 
Israel,  the  son  of  God,  the  first-born  son,  to  lead  the  Gen- 
tiles, His  other  children,  back  to  Him. 

"Know,  therefore,  that  the  Lord  thy  God,  He  is  God,  the 
faithful  God,  which  keepeth  covenant  and  loving  kindness 
with  them  that  love  Him  and  keep  flis  commandments,  to 
a  thousand  generations." 


196  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

And  recompenseth  direct  them  that  hate  Him,  to  destroy 
them;  He  will  not  be  slack,  to  him  that  hateth  Him,  He  will 
recompense  him  direct. 

God  recompensing,  repaying  or  punishing,  means  only 
the  natural  result  of  disobedience  of  His  laws. 

If  we  disobey  His  natural  laws  for  water  or  fire  or  air  or 
earth,  the  result  is  suffering  or  loss,  such  as  flood  or  wreck- 
age, burning,  disease,  failure  of  crop,  etc.  Or,  to  use  the 
Bible  method  of  expression,  God  would  "  recompense," 
"  repay  "  or  punish  "  us  with  flood  or  wreckage,  etc. 

Similarly  with  His  spiritual  laws.  If  we  disobey  them 
the  result  will  be  spiritual  suffering  such  as  contrition, 
remorse,  etc.,  or  loss  of  God's  protection  and  blessings 
necessary  for  our  well-being  and  happiness. 

As  for  the  relations  which  Israel  must  preserve  to  God, 
he  must  obey  His  Law,  and  make  Palestine  a  centre  of 
religious  influence  for  all  the  world.  The  seven  Palestinian 
nations  whose  religion  meant  immorality,  having  neglected 
all  God's  warnings  (see  Notes  to  Lesson  XX.),  were  to  be 
expelled  or  exterminated.  Intermarriage  was  emphatically 
prohibited  with  them,  and  as  we  find  later,  intermarriage 
with  other  nations  or  with  any  but  Hebrews  is  forbidden 
(i  Kings  xi.  i,  Nehem.  xiii.  23,  26,  etc),  and  condemned. 

Israel  must  be  loyal  to  God.  "  The  Lord  is  God,  there 
is  none  else  beside  Him  "  (Deut.iv.  35).  ''The  Lord  is  God 
in  Heaven  above  and  on  e.irth  beneath;  there  is  none  other" 
(Deut.  iv.  39).  These  and  similar  solemn  declarations  of 
Moses  answer  the  question  whether  the  ancient  Hebrews 
were  monotheists  or  believers  in  One,  the  only  God,  or 
whether  they  were  monolatrists  or  worshipers  of  one  God 
while  conceding  that  other  gods  existed.  There  are  no 
other  gods,  saith  Moses. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL  LESSONS  IQ7 

LESSON  XXIV. 

RELIGION   AS   MOSKS   PREACHED   IT. 

TEXT:  "  Righteousness,  righteousness,  that  shalt  thou  pursue.' 
Deut.  xvi.  20. 

"  All  that  do  unrighteously  are  an  abomination  unto  the  Lord." 
Deut.  xxv.  1 6. 

At  the  end  of  every  seven  years  thou  shalt  make  a 
release. 

Every  creditor  that  lendeth  aught  unto  his  neigh- 
bor shall  release  it,  it  is  the  Lord's  release. 

If  there  be  among  you  a  poor  man,  thou  shalt  not 
harden  thy  heart,  nor  shut  thine  hand  from  thy  poor 
brother. 

But  thou  shalt  open  thine  hand  wide  unto  him,  and 
shalt  surely  lend  him  sufficient  for  his  need  in  that 
which  he  wanteth. 

Thou  shall  surely  give  him,  and  thy  heart  shall  not 
be  grieved  when  thou  givest  unto  him,  because  for 
this  thing  the  Lord  will  bless  thee  in  all  thy  works, 
and  in  all  thou  puttest  thy  hand  unto. 

For  the  poor  shall  never  cease  out  of  the  land, 
therefore  I  command  thee  saying,  thou  shalt  open 
thine  hand  wide  unto  thy  brother,  to  thy  poor,  and  to 
thy  needy  in  the  land. 

If  thy  brother,  a  Hebrew  man  or  Hebrew  woman,  be 
sold  unto  thee,  and  serve  thee  six  years,  then  in  the 
seventh  year  thou  shalt  let  him  go  free  from  thee. 

And  thou  shalt  not  let  him  go  away  empty-handed. 

Thou  shalt  furnish  him  liberally  out  of  thy  flock 

and  out  of  thy  threshing-floor,  and  out  of  thy  wine- 


198  SUNDAY   SCHOOL   LESSONS 

press,  of  that  wherewith  the  Lord  thy  God  hath  blessed 
thee.  And  it  shall  be  if  he  say  unto  thee,  I  will  not 
go  away  from  thee,  because  he  loveth  thee  and  thine 
house,  because  he  was  happy  with  thee. 

Then  thou  .-halt  take  a  piercer,  and  pierce  it  through 
his  ear,  unto  the  door,  and  he  shall  be  thy  servant  for 
ever. 

It  shall  not  seem  hard  unto  thee  when  thou  sendest 
him  away  free  from  thee,  for  he  hath  been  worth  a 
double  hired  servant  to  thee  in  serving  thee  six  years, 
and  the  Lord  thy  God  will  have  blessed  thee  in  all 
that  thou  doest. 

Observe  the  month  of  Abib  and  keep  the  Passov  r 
unto  the  Lord  thy  God,  for  in  the  month  of  Abib 
He  brought  thee  forth  out  of  Egypt,  by  night. 

Thou  shalt  eat  no  leavened  bread  with  it;  seven  days 
shalt  thou  eat  unleavened  bread  therewith,  even  the 
bread  of  affliction. 

And  there  shall  be  no  leavened  bread  seen  with  thee 
in  all  thy  coasts  seven  days. 

Seven  weeks  shalt  thou  number  unto  thee;  thou 
shalt  begin  to  number  the  seven  weeks  from  the  time 
thou  beginnest  to  put  the  sickle  to  the  corn. 

And  thou  shalt  keep  the  feast  of  weeks  unto  the 
Lord  thy  God,  with  the  tribute  of  a  free-will  offering 
of  thine  hand,  which  thou  shalt  give  unto  Him,  ac- 
cording as  He  hath  blessed  thee. 

And  thou  shalt  rejoice  before  Him,  thou  and  thy 
son  and  thy  daughter  and  thy  man-servant  and  thy 
maid  servant,  and  the  Levite  that  is  within  thy  gates, 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  199 

and  the  stranger,  and  the  fatherless  and  the  widow 
that  are  among  you,  in  the  place  which  He  hath 
chosen  to  place  His  name  there. 

Andthon  shalt  remember  that  thou  wast  a  bondman 
in  Egypt,  and  thou  shalt  observe  and  do  these  statutes. 

Thou  shalt  observe  the  feast  of  tabernacles  seven 
days;  after  that  thou  hast  gathered  in  from  thy  thresh- 
ing-floor and  from  thy  wine-press. 

And  thou  shalt  rejoice  in  thy  feast,  thou  and  thy 
son  and  thy  daughter,  and  thy  man  servant  and  thy 
maid  servant,  and  the  stranger  and  the  fatherless  and 
the  widow  that  are  within  thy  gates. 

Seven  days  shalt  thou  keep  a  solemn  feast  unto  the 
Lord  thy  God,  and  He  will  bless  thee  in  all  thine  in- 
crease and  in  all  the  works  of  thine  hands,  therefore 
thou  shalt  surely  rejoice. 

Three  times  in  a  year  shall  all  thy  males  appear 
before  the  Lord  thy  God  in  the  place  which  He  shall 
choose,  in  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread,  and  in  the 
feast  of  weeks  and  in  the  feast  of  tabernacles;  and  thou 
shalt  not  appear  before  the  Lord  empty-handed.  Every 
man  shall  give  as  he  is  able  according  to  the  blessing 
of  the  Lord  thy  God,  which  He  hath  given  thee. 

Judges  and  officers  shalt  thou  make  within  thy  gates 
and  they  shall  judge  the  people  with  just  judgment. 

Thou  shalt  not  pervert  judgment,  thou  shalt  not  re- 
spect persons;  neither  take  a  gift,  for  a  gift  doth  blind 
the  eyes  of  the  wise,  and  pervert  the  words  of  the 
righteous.  Righteousness,  righteousness,  shalt  thou 
pursue. 


200  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

If  there  arise  a  matter  too  hard  for  thee  in  judgment 
in  criminal  or  in  civil  law,  in  conflict  of  opinion  or 
in  matters  of  controversy  within  thy  gates,  thou 
shalt  arise,  and  get  thee  up  into  the  place  which  the 
Lord  thy  God  shall  choose. 

•  And  thou  shalt  come  unto  the  priests,  the  Levites, 
and  unto  the  judge  that  shall  be  in  those  days  and  in- 
quire, and  they  shall  show  thee  the  sentence  of  judg- 
ment. 

And  thou  shalt  do  according  to  the  sentence  which 
they,  of  that  place  which  the  Lord  shall  choose,  shall 
show  thee,  and  thou  shalt  observe  to  do  according  to 
all  that  they  inform  thee. 

According  to  the  sentence  of  the  law  which  they 
shall  teach  thee,  and  according  to  the  judgment  which 
they  shall  tell  thee,  thou  shalt  do;  thou  shalt  not  de- 
clin  •  from  the  sentence  which  they  shall  show  thee, 
to  the  right  hand  nor  to  the  left. 

And  the  man  that  will  do  presumptuously,  and  will 
not  hearken  unto  the  priest  that  standeth  to  minister 
there  before  the  Lord  thy  God  or  unto  the  judge,  even 
that  man  shall  die,  and  thou  shall  put  away  the  evil 
from  Israel. 

And  all  the  people  shall  listen  and  have  respect  and 
act  no  more  presumptuously. 

When  thou  art  come  into  the  land  which  the  Lord 
thy  God  giveth  thee,  thou  shalt  not  learn  to  do  after 
the  abominations  of  those  nations. 

There  shall  not  be  found  among  you  any  one  that 
maketh  his  son  or  his  daughter  to  pass  through  the 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS  2OI 

fire,  or  that  useth  divination,  or  an  observer  of  times, 
clairvoyant  (or  an  enchanter),  or  a  witch,  or  a  charmer, 
or  a  consulter  by  ventriloquism,  or  a  wizard,  or  a 
necromancer;  for  all  that  do  these  things  are  an  abom- 
ination unto  the  Lord,  and  because  of  these  abomin- 
ations the  Lord  thy  God  doth  drive  them  out  before 
thee. 

Thou  shalt  not  see  thy  brother's  ox,  or  his  sheep,  go 
astray  and  hide  thyself  from  them,  thou  shalt  in  any 
case  bring  them  unto  thy  brother. 

And  if  thy  brother  be  not  nigh  unto  thee,  or  if  thou 
know  him  not,  then  thou  shalt  bring  it  unto  thine  own 
house,  and  it  shall  be  with  thee  until  thy  brother  seek 
after  it,  and  thou  shalt  restore  it  unto  him  again. 

In  like  manner  shalt  thou  do  with  his  ass,  and  so 
shalt  thou  do  with  his  raiment,  and  with  all  lost  things 
of  thy  brother's  which  he  hath  lost  and  thou  hast  found, 
shalt  thou  do  likewise;  thou  shalt  not  hide  thyself. 

Thou  shalt  not  see  thy  brother's  ass  nor  his  ox  fall 
down  by  the  way,  and  hide  thyself  from  them,  thou 
shalt  surely  help  him  to  lift  them  up  again. 

A  woman  shall  not  wear  that  which  pertaineth 
unto  a  man,  neither  shall  a  man  put  on  a  woman's 
garment,  for  all  that  do  so  are  an  abomination  to  the 
Lord  thy  God. 

If  a  bird's  nest  chance  to  be  before  thee  in  any  tree 
or  on  the  ground,  whether  they  be  young  ones  or 
eggs,  and  the  mother-bird  sitting  upon  the  young  or 
upon  the  eggs,  thou  shalt  not  take  the  mother-bird 
with  the  young. 


202  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

But  thou  shalt  in  any  wise  let  the  mother-bird  go, 
and  take  the  young  to  thee,  that  it  may  be  well  with 
thee,  and  that  thou  mayest  prolong  thy  days. 

When  thou  buildest  a  new  house  then  thou  shalt 
make  a  parapet  for  thy  roof,  that  thou  bring  uot 
blood  upon  thine  house,  if  any  man  fall  from  thence. 
Thou  shalt  not  sow  thy  vineyard  with  divers  seeds, 
lest  the  fruit  of  thy  seed  which  thou  hast  sown  and 
thy  vineyard  be  defiled. 

Thou  shalt  not  plough  with  an  ox  and  an  ass  to- 
gether. 

Thou  shalt  not  wear  a  garment  of  divers  sorts, 
woolen  and  linen  together. 

Thou  shalt  make  thee  fringes  upon  the  four  quar- 
ters of  thy  vesture  wherewith  thou  coverest  thyself. 

Thou  shalt  not  deliver  unto  his  master  the  slave 
which  is  escaped  from  his  master  unto  thee.  Thou 
shalt  not  oppress  him. 

Thou  shalt  not  lend  upon  interest  to  thy  brother, 
money,  victuals  or  anything  upon  interest. 

Unto  a  stranger  thou  mayest;  that  the  Lord  thy 
God  may  bless  thee  in  all  that  thou  settest  thy  hand 
to  in  the  laud  whither  thou  goest  to  possess  it. 

When  thou  dost  vow  to  the  Lord  a  thank-offering 
thou  must  fulfill  it.  If  thou  dost  forbear  to  vow,  it  is 
no  sin  in  thee. 

That  which  is  gone  out  of  thy  lips  thou  shalt  keep 
and  perform. 

When  a  man  hath  taken  a  new  wife  he  sh?ll  not  go 
out  to  war,  neither  shall  he  be  charged  with  any  busi- 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL   LESSONS  203 

ness,  but  he  shall  be  free  at  home  one  year,  and  shall 
make  happy  his  wife  which  he  hath  taken. 

No  man  shall  take  the  nether  or  the  upper  millstone 
to  pledge,  for  he  taketh  a  man's  life  to  pledge. 

When  thou  dost  lend  thy  brother  anything,  thou 
shalt  not  go  into  his  house  to  fetch  his  pledge. 

Thou  shalt  stand  abroad,  and  the  man  to  whom  thou 
dost  lend  shall  bring  out  the  pledge  abroad  unto  thee. 

And  if  the  man  be  poor,  thou  shalt  not  sleep  with 
his  pledge. 

In  any  case  thou  shalt  deliver  him  the  pledge 
again  when  the  suti  goeth  down,  that  he  may  sleep 
in  his  own  raiment  and  bless  thee,  and  it  shall  be 
righteousness  unto  thee  before  the  Lord  thy  God. 

Thou  shalt  not  oppress  an  hired  servant  that  is  poor 
and  needy,  whether  he  be  or"  thy  brethren  or  of  thy 
strangers  that  are  in  thy  laud,  within  thy  gates. 

When  it  is  due  to  him,  thou  shalt  give  him  his 
hire,  and  the  sun  shall  not  go  down  upon  it;  for  he  is 
poor  and  setteth  his  heart  upon  it;  lest  he  cry  against 
thee  unto  the  Lord,  and  it  be  sin  unto  thee. 

Fathers  shall  not  be  put  to  death  for  children, 
neither  sha'l  children  be  put  to  death  for  fathers, 
every  man  shall  be  put  to  death  for  his  own  sin. 

Thou  shalt  not  pervert  the  judgment  of  the  stranger; 
nor  of  the  fatherless,  nor  take  the  widow's  raiment  to 
pledge. 

But  thou  shalt  remembsr  that  thou  wast  a  bondman 
in  Egvpt  and  the  Lord  thy  God  redeemed  thee  thence, 
therefore  I  command  thee  to  do  this  thing. 


204  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

When  thou  cuttest  down  thine  harvest  in  thy  field 
and  hast  forgot  a  sheaf  in  the  field,  thou  shalt  not  go 
again  to  fetch  it;  it  shall  be  for  the  strangei,  for  the 
fatherless,  and  for  the  widow,  that  the  Lord  thy  God 
may  bless  thee  in  all  the  work  of  thine  hands. 

When  thou  beatest  thine  olive  tree  thou  shalt  not 
go  over  the  boughs  again,  it  shall  be  for  the  stranger, 
for  the  fatherless  and  for  the  widow. 

When  thou  gatherest  the  grapes  of  thy  vineyard, 
thou  shalt  not  glean  it  afterwards;  it  shall  be  for  the 
stranger,  for  the  fatherless,  and  for  the  widew. 

Thou  shalt  not  muzzle  the  ox  when  he  treadeth  out 
the  corn. 

Thou  shalt  not  have  in  thy  bag  divers  weights,  a 
great  and  a  small. 

Thou  shalt  not  have  in  thine  house  divers  measures, 
a  great  and  a  small. 

But  thou  shalt  have  a  perfect  and  just  weight,  a 
perfect  and  just  measure  shalt  thou  have,  that  thy 
days  may  be  lengthened  in  the  land  which  the  Lord 
thy  God  giveth  thee. 

For  all  that  do  such  things,  and  all  that  do  un- 
righteously, are  an  abomination  unto  the  Lord  thy 
God. 

NOTE. — The  teacher  in  reviewing  should  ask  a  ques- 
tion upon  each  verse  of  this  and  the  foregoing 
lesson. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL   LESSONS  205 

LESSON    XXV. 

THE   SHKMANG. 

TEXT:  "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart, 
with  all  thy  soul  and  with  all  thy  might."  Deut.  vi.  5. 

I. 

Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Lord  our  God  the  Lord  is  one. 

And  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy 
heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  'all  thy  might 

And  these  words  which  I  command  thee  this  day 
shall  be  in  thy  heart. 

And  thou  shalt  teach  them  diligently  unto  thy  chil- 
dren, and  thou  shalt  speak  of  them  when  thou  sittest  in 
thy  house,  and  when  thou  walkest  by  the  way,  and 
when  thou  liest  down,  and  when  thou  risest  up. 

And  thou  shalt  bind  them  for  a  sign  upon  thy 
hand,  and  they  shall  be  as  frontlets  between  thine  eyes. 

And  thou  shalt  write  them  upon  the  door-posts  of  thy 
house,  and  upon  thy  gates. 

II. 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  if  ye  will  hearken  dili- 
gently unto  my  commandments  which  I  command 
you  this  day,  to  love  the  Lord  your  God,  and  to  serve 
Him  with  all  your  heart,  and  with  all  your  soul, 

That  I  will  give  you  rain  for  your  land  in  due  sea- 
son, the  first  rain  and  the  latter  rain,  and  thou  shalt 
gather  in  thy  corn  and  thy  wine  and  thine  oil. 

And  I  will  send  grass  in  thy  field  for  thy  cattle, 
and  thou  shalt  eat  and  be  satisfied. 

Take  heed   to  yourselves  lest  your  heart   deceive, 


206  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

and  ye  turn  aside  and  serve  other  gods  and  worship 
them. 

And  then  the  Lord's  wrath  will  be  kindled  against 
you,  and  He  will  close  the  heavens  and  there  will 
be  no  rain,  and  the  land  will  not  yield  her  fruit,  and 
ye  will  perish  quickly  from  off  the  goodly  land  which 
the  Lord  giveth  you. 

Therefore  shall  ye  lay  up  these  my  words  in  your 
heart  and  in  your  soul,  and  bind  them  for  a  sign  upon 
your  hand,  and  they  shall  be  as  frontlets  between  your 
eyes. 

And  ye  shall  teach  them  your  children,  speaking 
of"  them,  when  thou  sittest  in  thy  house  and  when 
thou  walkest  by  the  way,  when  thou  liest  down,  and 
when  thou  risest  up. 

And  thou  shalt  write  them  upon  the  door-posts  of 
thy  house  and  upon  thy  gates. 

That  your  days  may  be  multiplied,  and  the  days  of 
your  children,  in  the  land  which  the  Lord  promised 
unto  your  fathers  to  give  them,  as  the  days  of  heaven 
upon  earth. 

III. 

And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  saying: 
Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  and  bid  them 
make  unto    themselves  fringes  in  the  borders  of  their 
garments,  throughout  their  generations,  and  that  they 
put  upon  the  fringe  of  the  borders  a  thread  of  blue. 

And  it  shall  be  unto  you  for  a  fringe,  aud  ye  shall 
look  upon  it,  and  remember  all  the  commandments  of 
the  Lord  and  do  them;  and  ye  shall  not  turn  aside 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  207 

after  your  own  heart,  and  your  own  eyes,  through 
which  ye  are  prone  to  go  astray. 

That  ye  may  remember  and  do  all  My  command- 
ments, and  be  holy  unto  your  God. 

I  am  the  Lord  your  God,  which  brought  you  out  of 
the  land  of  Egypt  to  be  your  God,  I  am  the  Lord 
your  God. 

NOTES. 

The  above  three  sections  of  the  Pentateuch  form  what  is 
called  "  the  Shetnang  " — from  the  first  Hebrew  word  of  the 
first  piece. 

They  are  looked  upon  as  most  important  passages.  The 
child,  as  soon  as  he  begins  to  talk,  is  taught  to  say. the  first 
line  for  a  morning  and  an  evening  praye-r.  Then  a  line, 
"  Blessed  be  the  name  of  the  glory  of  His  Kingdom  for 
ever  and  ever,"  is  added.  Then  he  is  taught  gradually  the 
rest  of  the  first  section,  verse  by  verse,  until  the  end.  And 
the  dying  man  recites  the  first  verse  on  his  deathbed. 

The  reason  of  the  importance  of  the  Shemang,  is  the 
meaning  of  its  moral  teachings.  These  are  Love,  Justice 
and  Purity,  the  essentials  of  our  religion.  They  are  here 
taught  in  connection  with  the  three  great  doctrines  of  our 
religion,  namely,  the  unity  of  God,  Immortality  of  the  Soul, 
Personal  Responsibility. 

The  first  section  teaches  the  unity  of  God,  that  is,  that 
God  is  one.  Therefore,  to  Him  alone  we  may  pray.  From 
Him  alone  can  we  obtain  forgiveness.  Further,  He  is  One 
in  His  nature  and  in  His  ways  or  methods.  Therefore,  He 
does  not  change.  And  the  same  laws  by  which  He  rules 
the  material  world  around  us,  govern  and  hold  good  in  the 
spiritual  world. 


208  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS 

For  example.  Seeds  or  growths  bring  forth  better  or 
worse  flower  or  fruit  according  to  surroundings  and  the 
care  taken  of  them.  Similarly  human  character  develops 
better  or  worse  results  according  to  its  surroundings  and 
the  care  taken  of  it.  „  . 

Again.  Color  depends  upon  which  shades  of  light  are 
reflected  or  refracted.  So  the  color  of  one's  character 
depends  upon  which  rays  of  Divine  light  are  received  or 
cast  off. 

Again.  Weeds,  useless  or  injurious  in  character,  are  sure 
to  grow  up  unless  vigilance  is  constantly  exercised.  So  in 
the  human  heart,  useless  or  injurious  desires  or  habits  are 
sure  to  grow  unless  most  vigilantly  watched. 

Again.  Tides  and  currents  flow  by  fixed  laws.  So  our 
moods  and  tempers  succeed  each  other.  But  we  must  guard 
against  evil  results  or  we  will  find  loss  and  ruin. 

Again.  A  slight  deviation  from  a  right  or  a  straight  line, 
if  continued,  means  going  further  and  further  away  from  it. 
So  a  slight  deviation  from  the  line  of  right-doing,  right- 
speaking,  or  right-thinking,  will  mean  going  further  and 
further  away  from  it  and  greater  difficulty  to  get  back  to 
it. 

The  section  then  proclaims  the  religion  of  love — "  Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God,  with  all  thy  heart,  with  all  thy 
soul,  and  with  all  thy  might." 

If  we  love  God  in  this,  way,  we  will  never  do  anything  to 
displease  Him,  and  we  will  always  be  trying  to  please  Him 
And  we  will  find  our  happiness  in  this,  just  as  we  find  happi- 
ness in  not  doing  anything  that  may  displease  our  parents 
or  friends  whom  we  love,  and  in  doing  anything  that  may 
please  them. 

To  God,  our  duty,  therefore,  is  love.    But  he  is  so  superior 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL   LESSONS  209 

a  being  that  to  us  He  shows  not  only  love  (or  Ahaba)  but 
Hesed,  which  means  loving-kindness.  Loving-kindness  is 
greater  than  Love.  Therefore,  while  our  religion  teaches 
God  is  love,,  it  teaches  even  more  emphatically  and  fre- 
quently that  God  is  loving-kindness. 

The  teaching  or  words  of  the  verse  "  Thou  shall  love,'* 
etc.,,  are  to  be  impressed  into  the  heart  as  the  next  verse 
enjoins  The  verse  following  commands  that  parents  shall 
"  teach,  diligently  "  their  children,  at  home,  while  walking,, 
and  both  morning  and  night^  The  Hebrew  text  insists  that 
parents  shall  personally  teach,  their  children  and  not  simply 
hire  a  teacher  for  them  or  send  them,  to  Sunday  SchooL 
The  Hebrew  word  translated  "  teach  diligently  "  is  from  a 
root,  meaning  a  tooth,  or  an  arrow-head,,  or  to  indent — to 
make  an  ineradicable  mark.  That  is,. parents  must  impress, 
or  indent  this  fundamental  teaching,  of  "  love  for  God  "  in, 
the  hearts  of  their  children.. 

Needless  to  say,  parents  must  also  teach  by  the  silent 
but  more  powerful  teaching  of  example. 

The  next  verse  orders  that  this  teaching  of  Love  must 
be  bound  on  the  hand  and  on  the  brow,  as  much  as  to  im- 
ply that  love  must  actuate  our  deeds  and  our  very  thoughts. 

And  the  last  verse  of  this  section  commands  that  this 
teaching  must  be  inscribed"  on  the  doorposts  of  our  houses 
and  our  gates,"  implying  that  love  of  God  must  be  the  rule 
of  our  homes,  the  rule  of  our  offices  and  places  of  business, 
the  rule  to  guide  us  as  we  pass  out  of  our  houses  into  the 
outside  world,  as  well  as  when  we  pass  by  them  back  again 
to  enter  our  homes.  Our  conduct  in.  social  and  business 
affairs,  as  well  as  in  our  domestic  circle,  must  therefore  be 
regulated  by  such  love  of  God  that  we  will  always  act,  speak 
and  think  only  in  such  a  way  as  will  make  others  Happy. 


ilO  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   LESSONS 

Then  through  the  love  of  God  will  come  the  Happiness 
of  His  creatures. 

II.  The  second  section  of  the  Shemang  contains  the  second 
great  moral  teaching,  Justice,  and  the  second  of  our  great 
doctrines,—  the  immortality  of  the  soul. 

It  declares  that  if  we  love  and  serve  God,  He  will  reward 
us;  that,  if  we  turn  aside  and  pay  homage  to  other  gods,  we 
will  be  punished  by  the  withdrawal  of  His  blessings. 

Material  blessing  or  punishment  is  mentioned  because 
Israel  is  addressed  as  a  nation,  and  a  nation  is  affected 
only  by  conditions  in  this  world. 

But  the  declaration  is  made  not  only  that  loving  and 
serving  God  will  be  rewarded  and  that  turning  away  from 
Him  will  be  punished,  but  that  these  teachings,  like  the  two 
teachings  of  the  first  section,  the  unity  of  God  and  the  duty 
of  loving  God,  must  be  impressed  on  the  heart,  bound  upon 
the  hand  and  brow  to  affect  our  actions  and  speech,  taught 
to  our  children  at  all  times  and  in  all  places,  and  inscribed 
on  our  doorposts  and  gates  as  the  rules  of  our  conduct  in 
social,  in  business  and  in  domestic  life. 

Hence  we  learn  that  reward  for  right  doing,  punishment 

for  wrong  doing,  applies  also  to  the  individual  as  wfell  as  to 

•  '•  •  ii ,, 
the  nation. 

But  we  know  that  right  doing  is  not  always  rewarded  in 
this  life,  for  many  good  people  suffer  from  disease,  or  loss, 
or  misfortune,  or  through  bad  children.  And  wicked  peo- 
ple often  seem  prosperous  and  happy. 

Therefore,  knowing  that  God  is  just,  we  believe  that  this 
refers  also  to  future  life,  and  thus  it  intimates  the  doctrine 
of  the  immortality  of  the  soul — that  there  is  a  future  life. 
This  doctrine  is  more  directly  set  forth  later  by  such  teach- 
ings as  those  of  Solomon  who  says,  "the  dust  returns  to  the 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL    LESSONS  211 

earth  and  the  soul  to  the  God  who  gave  it"  (Eccl.  xii.  7),  or 
the  Psalmist  who  speaks  of  "the  great  happiness  which  God 
has  in  store  for  those  who  fear  Him,  which  He  has  wrought 
for  those  who  trust  in  Him  in  the  presence  of  humanity" — 
(Ps.  xxxi.  19). 

The  doctrine  of  immortality  of  the  soul  is  a  natural  conse- 
quence, therefore,  of  a  belief  that  God  is  just. 

A  further  result  of  the  belief  in  God's  justice  will  be  to 
make  us  just  to  each  other,  in  deed  and  in  thought. 

Justice,  the  second  of  our  great  moral  teachings,  is  thus 
taught  by  the  second  section  of  the  Shemang. 

III.  The  third  section  of  the  Shemang  teaches  us  Purity 
or  Holiness. 

The  fringe  with  its  thread  of  blue  is  to  remind  us  of  what 
is  due  to  God,  just  as  the  stripes  or  uniform  worn  by  an  of- 
ficer or  a  soldier  will  remind  him  of  what  is  due  to  his  coun- 
try. 

And  our  duty  to  God  is  here  declared  to  be  Purity  in  our 
actions,  and  in  our  desires,  in  order  that  we  may  be  holy  or 
consecrated  to  God,  to  set  the  example  of  godly  lives, 
godly  thoughts  and  godly  deeds. 

•This  is  in  accord  with  the  declaration  that  God  brought 
us  out  of  Egypt  to  be  a  nation  of  priests,  which  means,  to 
minister  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  other  nations.  We  can 
only  do  this  by  setting  the  example  of  purity,  of  social 
and  domestic  purity,  public  or  political  purity,  and  personal 
or  private  purity.  For  this  example  of  Purity  in  all  things, 
we  are  personally  responsible.  Personal  responsibility  is 
therefore  here  inculcated. 


APPENDIX. 


A. — Adults  will  find  that  some  of  the  notes  are  designated 
to  emphasize  the  beauties  of  our  ethics  and  of  Juda- 
ism in  general. 

It  is  too  often  erroneously  thought  that  our  reli- 
gion is  inferior  to  Christianity  in  certain  directions. 
Hence  the  emphasis  placed,  for  example,  on  the  old 
Jewish  teaching,  "  God  is  Love." 

The  book  can  also  be  used  for  lower  classes  of 
Sunday-schools  by  any  capable  teacher. 

B. — The  Bible  account  of  the  origin  of  nations  contained 
in  Chapter  X.  is  recognized  by  all  authorities  as  of 
the  greatest  importance  in  modern  ethnological 
studies. 

C  — The  word  "  Hebrews  "  means,  according  to  some,  "  de- 
scendants of  Eber, "  an  ancestor  of  Abraham,  or  it  is 
derived  from  the  word  meaning  "to  pass  over,"  and 
is,  therefore,  "  those  who  passed  over  "  into  Canaan. 

The  word  "  Israelites "  means  "  descendants  of 
Israel,"  another  name  of  Jacob.  Like  "  Hebrews," 
it  now  applies  to  all  his  descendants. 

The  word  "Jews"  means  descendants  of  Judah 
and  Benjamin,  two  tribes,  which  in  subsequent 
years  formed  the  kingdom  of  Judah.  To  their 
country  the  Romans  gave  the  name  of  Judea. 


•    • 
,    .- 


